Retake: Taking the Road not Taken
by KumoNoHito
Summary: Let's add a woman's touch this time around, shall we? AU, Fem!Naruto, Time Travel story.
1. Prologue: Bestial Lament

**Prologue: Bestial Lament**

* * *

_This is it, huh? I guess I get to see everyone, at last._

Pale, broken lips tilted up into a small smile; blood trickled in one corner of the mouth.

_Looks like I'll never learn who did the deed, anyhow. I'd like to congratulate them…._

"Brat. We're getting there."

Glazed, misty blue eyes opened slowly, peering up at the endless grey horizon.

_I know you are, my friend._

"Brat! Don't you dare giving up on me! You hear?! We're coming!"

_I'm not giving up on you, Partner…I miss them…_him_…and I'll miss you too….All of you…_

Lids fluttering, and with one small sigh the still smiling lips went frozen.

"Brat! Don't…!"

The voice started, choked, stopped. Trying to find that warm beacon that had always lead them home without fail; it had _never _fail before; only to find…coldness and terrifying emptiness.

…

There was a howl.

A keening, heartbreaking, devastating howl.

The kind of howl that stopped you on your tracks as it _chilled_ down your spine and _seeped_ deep into your core of being. The kind of howl that made you rush to your loved ones and _hold onto_ them with everything you've got. The kind of howl that told you that _the end is here_.

And then there was another howl.

And another.

Another.

There were howls everywhere at once.

And everything _shattered_.

It was like the earth and sands and stones and water were all frozen and began to crack around the edge.

It was like the sky and clouds and sun and moon and stars were all halted and began to turn the wrong way.

It was.

Quite.

Eerily quite.

And then there was only white.


	2. Chapter 1: Let Us Reintroduce Ourselves

**Retake: Taking the Road not Taken**(1)

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**AN**:

This is a Time Travel female Naruto story, mostly drama and adventure with a bit of romance.

I'm a KakashixNaruto-KakashixfemNaruto worshipper, so the main pairing will be just that.

This story is rated M, at the very least it'll have swearing, blood and dying people. I'm not decisive about lemon, we'll see.

Definitely an Alternate Universe.

Earlier character development, some of you might find them a bit OOC.

I'm using the standard writing form. Bold letters are only for Titles, Chapter Titles, end chapters/story's markers and notifiers.

English is not my mother tongue, so anyone finding any mistakes would you please point them to me so I can fix them.

Reviews and constructive criticisms are welcome.

Can I lure/trap someone into beta-ing this story? Pretty please?

* * *

**Disclaimer**: No, I'm not going to say it. I refuse to state that Naruto and Kakashi and their comrades and enemies aren't mine. If I said it, it will become a reality. Nope, never.

* * *

**Chapter 1: Let Us Reintroduce Ourselves**

* * *

74 AKF (After Konoha Founding)(2)

Somewhere between Konohagakure no Sato and the Fire Daimyo's Castle(3)

Dawn was almost over. The golden and red ribbons of Amaterasu had just begun to stretch in the eastern horizon, cutting through the dark blanket of Yomi, bringing forth the promise of life. Stray night's creatures were bustling back to their dens, while day's creatures were popping out of theirs; ready to start the day's business. The morning music had yet started, and the only sounds were the far and between hooting of owls returning to their nests. Most humans were still curled in their burrows, latching to the last bit of sleep that they earned.

A weird, slightly chubby figure was seen walking leisurely on the side road leading to Konohagakure no Sato. The dim light of early morning defined the figure as a woman in her fifty's, and upon closer inspection it could be seen that her weird stature was due to the fact that she had a black cat curled around her shoulder; its tail whipping lazily every now and then. Despite her slightly heavy figure and the 'leisure' way of her steps, her paces were quick, light, and precise. If an observant ninja ever saw her then, she would easily be categorized as a seasoned ninja. However, since there were no ninjas around to observe, everything about her movements went unnoticed. At her current pace, she would reach Konohagakure no Sato around eight in the morning; and she would unleash her terror on the village by then. Not that any dwellers of said village were aware of her plan, of course.

Her short-curly hair was bobbing along with her springy steps, which were not in lieu with her build and age, really. The small-beaded black eyes were darting cleverly around, taking notes of anything worth noting. Everything from the slightly wilted leaves to the dry wind blowing silently as it shepherded the small flocks of clouds further away toward the shore, were noted and tucked away carefully back in the recess of her mind. Meanwhile, her beloved cat was busy treating itself to its morning bath; licking its paws tediously and religiously as if the world would come to an end if there was a single fleck of dirt left between its furs.

It was their traditional routine walks. The ones that she performed several times a week depended on her mood or circumstantial needs. There were days when she visited Konohagakure no Sato to meet with a dear old friend to tea, chat, exchanging gossips and all around having a good laugh at her tabby's expenses. However, said friend had passed away several years before, along with the successor. And it seemed that there would be yet another successor for years to come. Nowadays she performed her visits without definite person to go to; reminiscing the old ways that she and her deceased friend had inherited from their predecessors, wondering whether she would ever be given the chance to pass on their tradition. Madame Shijimi let out a suffering sigh.

The womenfolk of the Land of Fire had had their own network of information exchange since the beginning of their establishment. The exchange of information between the women of the feudal lands and the hidden village was done over teacups and showing off their newest purchase of silks and jewellery. A warning was given over the suggestion of trying out a new recipe; a caution to watch over a threat was delivered along with the promotion of a new bargain, and so on. Several prominent figures that publicly known as social butterflies in the Daimyo's household collected gossips on the marketplace, shops, parties, and onsens, whereas their counterparts in the Hidden Village done pretty much the same thing in their village before reporting anything worth mentioning to their superiors, namely the Daimyo's wife in the feudal castle and the Hokage's wife in Konoha during teas. Later, any necessary gossips would be traded out between the Daimyo's wife and the Hokage's wife during one of their visits to each other.

Both representatives usually would give some advices to their spouses later, namely the Daimyo and the Hokage as they took their relaxing afternoon tea, over hurried conversation at breakfast table, or if the issues were dire, they would resort to bedrooms talks. Everything was delivered to the men as gentle suggestions, stray ideas, and subtle hints. There were never any demands, threat or sulking when they were delivering the issues of the land, the people. Those matters were too delicate to be handled in such a childish way. Demands, threat and sulking were made to pursue their own selfish whims, therefore affordable to failures; the people's issues were not. Right now the village's ends of the vine were severed along with the passing of Sarutobi Biwako and Uzumaki Kushina.

"And we're just finished training Kushina too, huh, Tora?" The great Madame scratched her prized cat behind the ear, sharing her frustration out with the Genins of Konohagakure's Menace. The black Persian purred lowly as if in agreement with its mistress. "Huh, you think so? I'm not sure about that, Tora, the Nara's matriarch is good, but the Nara's men are too lazy. They wouldn't move their bum without lethal threat to their well-being. We'll have to look elsewhere for Konoha's end, don't you think?"

The feline meowed softly, her tail brushed her mistress' cheek lightly.

"And to think that the Uchihas were wiped out in a single night. We need the Konoha's end of the grapevine, badly." Madame Shijimi once again blew out a desperate sigh, remembering the Massacre of the Uchihas not a fortnight ago.

She had been aware of the brewing tension between the Uchihas against the village, of course. The miscommunication among them had always been there from the beginning of Konoha. After the Kyuubi attack eight years ago the friction was escalating in an alarming speed. The Fire Daimyo was aware of the fact, and of course she, as the Daimyo's spouse knew it all too well, too. She was contemplating in pulling Mikoto Uchiha into the vine when the distrust against the Uchihas rose higher faster than one of Tora's wild chase around the village that she had to abandon the idea.

It was hard to maintain harmony among the citizens of the village when the village's end of the vine was not present. Madame Shijimi must scrounged what gossips she could during her brief visits to the village, which never took more than half a day each time. That was the reason she had caught wind of the Uchihas' plan of coup d'etat too late, and she took it as a personal failure. She had her own suspicion on the whole mess called the Massacre, but she had no ways or resources to prove it. It was not like she could just barge into Hiruzen's office and demand a military report given to her.

The Madame snorted derisively at the thought. Hiruzen might be considered one of the smartest ninja, but he was absolutely clueless about everyday life's issue. The Professor, The Nidaime Kami no Shinobi might be able to spot a ninja spy within a minute or performed hundreds of jutsus flawlessly, but the old man never once suspected what Biwako was doing for the villagers' welfare. His Council, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu were none the better. Homura was forgivable, he was a _male _after all; but Koharu was a joke, really. The old hag had always been rapping on kunoichi's prowess but had never suspected what other women were doing right under her nose. And she did not even want to go over Shimura Danzo. They were the same, the lot of them.

Out of the whole ninja village called Konoha, only a handful of shinobi had came to realiz what the prominent women had been doing for their beloved village's welfare, and in conjunction, spotted Madame Shijimi's role among them. There was Tobirama Senju, the man was an epitome of the word 'observe'; and he supported his sister-in-law involvement in the betterment of Konoha. That was one of the reason he set the example of placing one kunoichi in each of Konoha's shinobi teams when possible, however; he failed miserably with Koharu.

Then there was the goofy pervert, Jiraiya the Sennin. His knowledge of women's gossips was likely earned from his habits of peeping at the women's bath and his closeness to Senju Tsunade who were taught the trade by her grandmother. The Gama Sennin spotted the Daimyo's wife's role in the grapevine after a while and they had exchanged gossips from time to time; between shouts of 'pervert!', of course. However, the self-proclaimed Super Pervert rarely ever set foot in Konoha; as he was running around the elemental continents with his own spy networks, posing as a porn author, doing the so-called research, and indulging in his own personal hobby of peeking at women as well.

Unsurprisingly, Namikaze Minato also joined the little circle of shinobi 'in the know' and the chubby woman smiled fondly at the thought of the deceased Hokage. The man was a breath of fresh air among the upper echelons in Konoha, always ready to greet anyone with a smile in his eyes, always sharp and understanding; despite his traumatic experiences with hordes of fan-girls the man was always ready to support both Biwako and herself in their vigils however he could. It was the Namikaze who encouraged his wife Kushina to join their grapevine of seemingly meaningless gossips.

The tell-tale thin smoke of a dying camp-fire a little farther off the road caught her attention and Tora also sniffed her nose with interest. The black Persian was one smart feline; after all, her ancestors in the far land in the west were considered sacred and often placed as guardians for princess, queens and royal tombs. They were more than just smart, they were also vicious and deadly; but more importantly, the Persian cats have impeccable instincts. Madame Shijimi had an absolute faith in her prized cat's instincts; so she watched her pet carefully, waiting for any signs of hostility that Tora might caught.

The little tigress suddenly jumped off of the Madame's shoulder and walked leisurely toward the smoke, stopping at the edge of the road to throw her mistress that plainly says 'follow me'. So, follow the cat she did.

* * *

Tokubetsu Jounin Namiashi Raidou stretched his body languidly by the camp-fire, trying to work out the kinks out of his weary joints. His team-mate, Shiranui Genma, was out to deal with his morning nature-calls behind some bushes, leaving the scarred man with the other occupant of their camp.

Both he and Genma were heading home after a two weeks long mission, a tiring and drawn-out mission. Too weary to continue the last couple of hours back to Konoha, they had decided to break for camp at the clearing off the road to the village and resume their trek home in the morning. He eyed his uninvited sleeping camp-mate with a mixture of fondness and annoyance.

The brat had trudged into their camp just before dawn, surprising both shinobi since they had only sensed the intruder right before he entered the camp; without triggering any one of the traps littered around the camp beforehand to boot. The eight years old boy looked tired and hungry and generally at lost. His dimmed blue eyes had brightened up when he spotted the Konoha hitai-ate on both ninjas' heads and he had immediately begun telling them how he had been walking for hours to get back to Konoha. Raidou had rolled his eyes at the child while Genma was amused at the flailing of hands and exclamations followed by a loud growling from his stomach. Genma had actually guffawed at the sound, much to the boy's shame and ire.

Apparently the boy had gotten lost after running away from a vendor that he had pranked. Both ninjas were quite surprised to hear that the boy, the blonde-haired blue eyed boy, had actually gotten lost; considering his ability to outmanoeuvre chuunin, jounin and ANBU alike in the village. Raidou had deduced that the child had actually relied on the familiarity of the village's layout to disappear. The forest outside Konoha was absolutely a novel experience for the boy; what with similar gigantic trees stretched out as far as the eyes could see, especially when you could not travel through the ninja's highway above the treetops.

Genma, always the relaxed one, had told the kid to just wait until morning with them and they would take him back along with them to Konoha, much to the boy's relief. Uzumaki Naruto had munched down the last of their offered provision with gusto then –kid got endless stomach– and promptly fell asleep by the fire afterwards.

"Yo, Raidou! Our guess up, yet?" Genma, who had completed his morning business, appeared from behind a large bush and flopped down near the fire. The brat stirred slightly at the noise and then curled his body tightly into a small ball, still fast asleep. The senbon between Genma's teeth moves to the other side of his mouth, "Not yet, huh? You need to go?" The last question was directed at Raidou. The scarred man merely nodded and stood up before ambling away to find his own bush.

Genma began collecting the traps spread around the camp, throwing curious glance toward their 'guest' as he dubbed the boy, every now and then. The brat slept like a log, as he barely flinched when Genma flops back down by the blonde's side, dropping his backpack on the ground as he did so. The bandanna-wearing ninja poked the dying embers of their camp-fire, ruefully remembering that the last of their taste-bud-friendly provisions had already been gone by dawn. He did not fancy of having soldier's pills for breakfast and steeled his stomach for a late breakfast.

Absent-mindedly Genma wondered whether the Hokage had realized that Uzumaki Naruto had not been sleeping in his own apartment that night, or worse, whether The Wolf had known yet. He shivered at the thought. '_I sincerely hope not_.'

He then promptly got up and dug some soil with his foot to put the camp-fire out, still too tired to perform any jutsu, even an E-rank one.

"What's with the look, Genma? Saw a hungry bear behind some bushes?" Raidou teased his partner when he returned back to their camp just in time to see the senbon chewer shivered thoroughly. Genma cursed under his breath before answering.

"Damn! Don't do that! You'd shiver too if you knew what I was thinking!"

"Really, now? And pray tell, what would make me shiver in fright like a rabbit caught in a wolf's claws? And what's the rush?"

Genma hissed and nearly choked on his senbon at the word 'wolf'. Sometimes, Raidou had the knack to get under his skin without so much as trying.

"I was wondering if The Wolf's knew that this pup was not in his den last night!" He almost spat the words out. His team-mate visibly paled.

"Shit!"

"Shit indeed! We've got to get going. You take the backpack; I'll carry the brat, and let's just hope that he's out of the village on a mission or something."

"And pray that the village is still standing if he weren't. Right, let's go!"

Both shinobi shivered once more at the thought and began moving quickly. All of their remaining fatigue and hunger disappeared faster than the Yellow Flash decimating Iwa's platoon.

They knew exactly who Uzumaki Naruto was. They knew more than the general populace of Konoha, whom the older generation known as the demon's brat, and the younger generation known as a good-for-nothing, better-to-stay-away-from delinquent. It only took one look and they both had realized who the boy was, or to be more precise, _who his parents were_.

Had any of his parents were still alive, they would had had turned the village upside down if they found out that their son had went missing. And despite of the fact that both of his parents were dead and buried, there is one other person who is just as capable as the Uzumaki's parents in razing the village to the ground if anything were to happen to the boy, aside from the Hokage himself. Experienced A-class assassins they might be, but they both _knew_ they held no chance against The Wolf in this particular issue.

Raidou had just finished tucking in his swords in their sheaths and Genma was just about to pick the sleeping brat up when several things happened rapidly in sequences.

* * *

Madame Shijimi came upon the Konoha ninja's camp just in time to see the scarred-face shinobi teased his team-mate about a rabbit and a wolf. '_Namiashi Raidou, Tokubetsu Jounin, kenjutsu, assassin, Shiranui Genma, Tokubetsu Jounin, projectiles-poison, assassin_,' she noted absently while her black-beaded eyes roamed around trying to find where Tora had went. They had not noticed her present yet, as she actually had been trained to suppress her chakra to the point where it merely resembled a rather large _normal_ wild animal, and she did not want either shinobi to know she was there yet, or ever.

She paused searching when she hears Genma hissed the words 'The Wolf' and her mind automatically supplied the picture of a grey-eyed, silver-haired middle aged man with a kind face for a moment, before she remembered that _that_ particular 'wolf' was dead. '_Must be speaking about the son, then.'_ Another picture of a grey-eyed, silver-haired _boy_ wearing a dark face mask flashed in her mind. She tallies in her head and realized that the boy would have grown to be a young man by then.

She spotted Tora standing near a bundle of orange and yellow on the other side of the camp and she narrowed her eyes to take note of the sleeping figure. Sun-coloured hair, tanned skin -too bright to be a Yamanaka, upturned nose, full lips….Her gasps of recognition broke the silence in the camp. Both shinobi started, shifting to their battle stance and at the same time, Tora hissed menacingly at the bundle on the ground. The short woman reacted quickly when she noticed what had riled her black Persian up.

"Tora-chan! Here girl!"

'_Shit! Shit! Shit!'_ Genma cursed in his mind when he registered other intruders to their camp. It was bad enough that they did not sense the Uzumaki kid earlier, albeit how tired and worn out they were. Now a _civilian woman and her cat_ have just waltzed into their camp and neither he nor Raidou had realized it until they were upon them. He shifted to cover the still sleeping blonde and notes his team-mate was doing the same to the side. His brown eyes swept over the intruder and recognized her immediately as Madame Shijimi, the Daimyo's wife; he relaxed his body then. A growling sound was heard from behind them and both of them tenses back before loosening again when they recognizes that the growling had come from the menace of the genin teams, Tora the cat.

'_We're not paid enough for this shit.'_ Raidou's trains of thoughts were not far from that of his team-mate. He forced his shoulder to relax when the black cat slithered between them to get into her mistress and faintly noticing the way the cat's furs standing on ends. That was when he felt it. _Cold, dark, intense feelings of an incoming doom._ He turned around slowly with trepidation, fight and flight instinct roaring in his gut.

All three of them, two war veteran shinobi and one middle aged woman, watch in horror as red, malicious chakra began to _bleed_ out of every pores of the sleeping form. The blonde was turning and trashing wildly now, his eyelids were still closed but they were scrunching in pain, his breathing was short and harsh.

Raidou risked a glance when he felt Madame Shijimi started to walk forward, her hands blurring in a series of hand seals. After what seemed to be over a fifty something hand seals, the _civilian woman_ pushed both palms outward and with a whisper of "Dome!" erected a purple five meter wide dome barrier around the Uzumaki; big droplets of sweat ran down her temples. '_What the hell?!'_

Genma let out a whistle-choked sound through his teeth, eyes still watching warily as red chakra continue to swirl around the boy and unable to find any outlet; started filling the barrier dome until they no longer able to see the thrashing blonde at the centre from the thickness of it. Vaguely he saw the black cat hissing on her hackles, green slit unblinking, directed at the content of the barrier.

Both shinobi knew that one of them had to run and warn the Hokage while escorting the civilian royalty out to safety. The other one will have to stay, to try to contain and delay the chakra monster should it ever got out of the barrier –which seems to be any-time soon– not that any one of them could do much against such power.

They were still debating with their eyes about which one of them should go, both insisting that they should be the one staying when the red chakra turned into soft golden hue and spiralled back into the centre as if being sucked off through a giant straw.

All the four of them –cat included– warily took a step forward, trying to prepare themselves for whatever sight they might find in the middle of the dome.

They found that the boy had stopped moving, his ragged breathing was slowly returning to normal pace. There were no traces of the red chakra left that could be seen, although that fact did nothing to quell their cautiousness. After a long intense silent, Tora the cat glided gracefully to their side of the barrier and began pawing at the purple dome. She was purring softly, tail switching in a lazy manner and her fur was flat and slick against her back. Madame Shijimi blew out a relieved sigh.

"Are you sure, Tora-chan?"

Both seasoned shinobi nearly fell on their behinds when the feline menace turned her head slowly and gave her mistress a pointed look.

"Alright then if you say so." The Madame lowered her outstretched arms and released the barrier; her breath coming out short and ragged. It was the strongest barrier in her arsenal, one that Uzumaki Mito had taught her for emergencies a long time ago. '_Raging red chakra pouring out certainly was an emergency,' _she mused. Turning her head to level both of her assassins-in-company in her best holier-than-thou stare; she hissed under her breath, "Talk about what you just saw I did to anyone, and both of you will be chasing Tora-chan for the rest of your ninja carrier, and after."

Genma and Raidou nodded in unison. Their "Yes, ma'am!" were quick and absolute. Any ninja –sane or less-than-sane– in Konoha would do just about anything to avoid _that_ particular mission. And they considered themselves sane enough, thank you very much.

"Good. And now you can start telling me why Konoha deemed it prudent _not_ to inform me that my god-daughter is still alive, please."

Genma spatted out his senbon in surprised. Now, _that_ was something they had never known before. He heard Raidou gulped loudly, and he wondered briefly if they had unknowingly trespassed through a holy shrine or something along the way to deserve these shits so early in the morning. The sun had not even fully come out yet! '_Before breakfast, too_.' The wise guy in his head added.

"D-don't you mean godson, Ma'am?" was all that Raidou managed to croak out. His partner nodding frantically beside him, desperately missing his senbon.

Madame Shijimi snorted. Trust _men_ to miss the obvious. The blonde was definitely a girl, there was no way her eyes could be wrong. The hair might be cropped short, the clothes might be all boy's and baggy, but there was no bulge between the thighs –not even a small one.

The veteran assassins were sweating bullets by now. A girl! No wonder the Hokage had always been overly protective of the Uzumaki, not to mention The Wolf…. Each one of them were already began planning to trick the other to report this incident to the Hokage, and how to escape a certain masked shinobi right after. Not that they had any chance of actually managed to avoid _him_ for long, but a man got to try his best to survive.

Meanwhile, Tora the cat was busy licking the sleeping blonde on the nose, purring and mewling softly at the Uzumaki to wake her up. Madame Shijimi's glare softened when her eyes landed on the girl. Kushina's and Minato's child! Alive! After all this time, after Kami knew how many buckets of tears she had shed when they told her that all of them were dead! She started to approach the scrawny looking girl, eager to hold her god-daughter for the first time. '_Eight years too late as it is, but better than never_.'

Her posture stiffened back when thick, warm chakra started to pour out and swirled around the blonde's body once more, golden chakra instead of red this time. She jumped back and prepared to form another barrier when the Madame noticed that Tora was still purring softly at the girl. She waited, then; hands still poised ready to perform the needed seals. The two ninjas behind her groaned at the sight, and she felt the Konoha shinobi drew their weapons out.

Namiashi Raidou had seen a lot of strange things during his twenty-seven years of living in a ninja village, including watching a blonde Hokage ducking out of several kitchen's-tool-turned-into-ballistic-ammunition –one whom had decimated hundreds of enemy ninjas in a blink of an eye– while being chased around the village by a furious red-headed kunoichi, her hair splitting into nine separate tails behind her; but what he saw at that moment took the cake out of everything, yet.

Golden chakra began to siphon out of the blonde boy's, '_no, girl's'_, he corrected silently; belly and gathered at one point to her side, slowly beginning to shape into a laying animal form. He ignored the strange chakra in favour of watching the Uzumaki's body as it literally _stretched _and _filled_ _out_ before his eyes. The round and chubby face lost its baby's fat, her cheek bones and jaw edged away, leaving a defined heart-shaped _matured_ face, the jaw line was somewhat softened into a smooth curve. The whiskers on her face thickened into three pairs of stripes before thinning out again. The short spiky hair lengthened until they reached her knees. Just as her height reached around the number of 170 cm, she shrunk back, although not by many, staying at approximately 165 cm. Her hair stayed, though; the golden strands were curling softly around and upon her body. His estimation was that the girl would be around eighteen years of age. All in all she looked like the perfect mixture of Yondaime-sama and Kushina-sama. If the people of Konohagakure refused to acknowledge her similar colouring to their late Hokage before, nobody could remain blind now.

Her orange and blue jacket had ripped apart along the seams at the sleeves, barely covering her long torso and curvy assets. It looked like she was wearing some kind of funny tank-top and arm-warmers as the result. He could see some sort of strange tattoos along both of her arms and on her shoulders. It took him a moment to realize that they were seals. Brown brows rose to his hairline when he noticed the oh-so-familiar ANBU mark just below her left shoulder; the colour was red with blue thin lining –Honsho? But there was also a black dot in the centre of the swirl. There was a complicated Uzumaki spiral-like seal on her flat stomach; the Tokubetsu Jounin surmised that it must be the seal that locked the Kyuubi in. The formerly baggy orange pants now looked like a pair of legging shorts; they were stretched tightly on her thighs, stopping just above the knees. She had taken off her ruined sandals before sleeping and her feet were bare with long slender toes slightly curled in discomfort. There were also intricate-looking seals along her calves. Her skin was a tad lighter than before; it's a healthier looking tan now. As soon as the whole process of instant growing up stopped, the tattoo-seals disappeared, leaving the ANBU swirl alone.

Everything happened in less than two minutes.

"What the…?!" By the sound of it, Genma had choked on his senbon, again. Not that the scarred-face shinobi could blame his partner for that. He would have had choked too if he had something in his mouth.

A chubby palm was thrust right under his nose then and a hissing "Cloak!" was heard. Groggily, Raidou unclasped his travelling coat and put it onto the awaiting palm. Another hiss, commanding them to "Turn around, idiots!" had them turn their backs in a split of a second.

Raidou took the opportunity to glance at his team-mate and figured that he himself must have had the same stunned-silly look on his face, too. The bandanna-wearing shinobi glanced at him then, and they both knew that they had the same thoughts in mind. As their Nara comrades would stated: Troublesome.

Madame Shijimi approached her god-daughter laying form and swiftly covered her half-naked body with Raidou's worn-out cloak, carefully clasping the collar backside to the front so the material would stay on her front side even if the blonde moved. Her black beaded eyes were taking every feature lovingly and she blinked away the unshod tears that had been hanging on her lashes for a while. She had a very good inkling of what was happening, her sharp mind had already processing each and every fact that she had seen so far; all she needed was the confirmation from the still sleeping girl. Tora-chan meanwhile was still purring at the girl, rubbing her silken black fur against the back of her hand.

All they had to do was waiting for the blonde to awaken. The thought drew her eyes to the sleeping girl's eyelids, wondering what colour her irises would be. Would they be violet as Kushina's or blue like Minato's? She would find out soon enough when she saw that the blonde's eyes began moving rapidly beneath her eyelids. Taking a few steps back, she snapped her fingers to let the two Konoha shinobi know that they can turn around again.

"What did they name her?" Madame Shijimi asked the ninja flanking her left side.

"They named him…err…her Uzumaki Naruto, Ma'am!" Genma answered in a rush. He was still trying to make head and tails of everything that has been happening so far that he had barely heard the question directed at him.

"Uzumaki Naruto, huh? Minato and Kushina had been so certain that their child would be a boy. Baji's examination confirmed that(4). They hadn't bothered to prepare a girl's name. I guess they did not have time to find a proper name when she turned out to be a girl, then." Madame Shijimi murmured to herself in reminiscence.

Both Konoha shinobi remained silent at the remark. They remembered the week before the Kyuubi attack when Kushina-sama had some cheery morning tea with the Daimyo's wife. However, none of them had realized that the black-haired Madame had been asked to become the godmother of Minato-sama's child. '_Does Sandaime-sama even aware of that?'_

Genma raised an eyebrow toward his friend in question and Raidou answered with a slight tilt of his chin. The scarred-face ninja had no idea what to make of the situation they found themselves in, either. None of his training as a shinobi had ever mentioned anything remotely similar to their predicament at the moment. Nothing in the shinobi guidelines, not in the shinobi handbook and not even in any of history book he had ever read. Heck, he was sure even the ANBU training had no similar incident to refer to; and those bunch deal with the unusuals as a norm. Although he had a suspicion that if he ever had had the opportunity to pick out Minato-sama's brain he might, just maybe, found something. There was no guarantee that he would be able to understand them, though, so it was a moot point.

The kenjutsu master refocused his attention back to the sleeping form of Uzumaki Naruto. Who'd known the obnoxious, scraggy, skinny looking brat would turn out into…._that?_

She was a looker. A drop-dead gorgeous looker if he ever saw one. The skin was flawless and smooth looking tan. Hair of liquid gold with a few strands of crimson here and there, long and slightly curled cascading down almost her entire figure. Lean, long arms and legs, muscles deceptively soft on the surface but tight and supple beneath the skin. Curves at the right places and with the right proportions, too; nothing was too big or too small. All she needed were cat-like looking eyes and a low, drawling voice and she would be the new definition of sensuality.

As personal guards of the Yondaime Hokage during his short-lived ruling period in Konohagakure; the three of them: he himself, Genma and Iwashi, had come to see the sun-kissed brat as the late Kage's legacy. One that they would be guarding and keep safe as long as they were still breathing. They were very excited when Minato-sama and Kushina-sama were expecting. And even though they had known that it would fall on Hatake's shoulder to train the then soon-to-be born child; they had already had training exercises for the heir written down. Their plans have not changed when both loving parents fell at the end of the Kyuubi attack over seven years prior. If anything, the tragedy just solidified the plan even more.

However, they had never added the fact that the boy was actually a girl to the equation. '_How are we supposed to protect her from the rest of male population now? Scratch that, how are we supposed to protect her from the rest of the population now?'_

Minato-sama, being as protective as he was; would had had a barrier set up to ward off any males from hundred of meters around his daughter; Raidou was sure of that. As of now, since he himself, Genma and Iwashi had taken to guard the boy-turned-out-to-be-girl whenever they could, albeit from the shadow, the job would fall on them, would it not? And Hatake Kakashi, who had always been territorial about the Uzumaki before would had drag her into a cave and place a boulder over it if he ever saw the girl now for sure. '_Huh, guess I'll leave that job to The Wolf, then.'_

Before any of that, though, they had some more pressing matters at hand. Could they be certain that it was still the same Uzumaki Naruto that he had taken to watch out from time to time, laying in front of them? What if she were not Uzumaki Naruto, but some enemy ninja in disguise? He and Genma had absolute faith in Yondaime-sama's seal, but right then and there he could feel the shadow of a doubt rose in his mind. What if the Kyuubi had taken over? Sure, her chakra was warm and calm, but how could they be a hundred percent certain? '_Damn, we're not getting paid enough for this shit. Where are the geniuses when you need one?'_ Raidou let out a frustrated groan as his mind processed everything he had seen.

Another groan pulled Raidou's attention back to the blonde's laying form. She was waking up.

Almond-shaped blue eyes snapped open, the irises moved around in their sockets; trying to register the surrounding. After a while the girl sat up in one smooth graceful move and Raidou felt his heart dropped to the bottom of his stomach at the motion. He hoped, wished, prayed, that at least her voice would sound like most girls' he'd met: normal, high-pitched, thin voice. But then she noticed them and spoke; and thus all of his hopes went out of the window. If he had had ever heard bedroom voice before…

"Baa-chan! Tora-chan! It's good to see you again! Genma-san? Raidou-san? Ugh, sorry guys. I just didn't expect you two would be part of my welcome-to-the-realm-of-the-dead party! I'm glad to see you guys too, dattebayo! But I was expecting different people here, you know! I thought I get to meet everyone who'd died. Where is everybody else, then? Where are we? Do we have to go and meet them? I miss you all, dattebayo! And I miss Mum, Dad, Jijii, Ero-Sennin, Kakashi-sensei, and Tsunade Baa-chan too, and Shizune Nee-chan, Sakura-chan and Sasuke-teme!, and Asuma-sensei, and Neji-kun!, and Gai-sensei!, and Gaara!, and Shikaku Oji!, and Inoichi Oji! And Shikamaru, Choji and Shino…! and A Oji-san and Bee Oji-san!, and Onoki-Jijii! And everybody else, too! Tell me, did Ero-Sennin get to meet with Nagato? Did Sasuke get to meet with Itachi? And does Kakashi-sensei still wear that damn mask in the afterlife? Did you two get to see his face? Huh?! Genma-san? Raidou-san?"

Raidou and Genma barely noticed the torrent of words coming out of her heart-shaped lips, the meaning lost to their minds. They were too stunned in hearing her voice; it's low, smooth, silky, and had a slight timbre to it that make you think 'bedroom' no matter what she said. Kami! They would have to put her in a fortress to protect her!

A low growl turned everyone's attention to the right of the rambling girl and they saw a whitish-reddish yellow fox face-palmed….pawed?

"Idiot gaki! I've fell asleep for five minutes and you started rambling at everyone you meet!" It…he…she…? rumbled.

"Kurama! You're here too! Does it mean we get to see…"

The fox bopped the excited blonde on the back of her head and hissed through rows of sharp-pointy teeth, "Shut up!"

It then turned its horse-sized head toward the three older people in the camp, taking in their flabbergasted appearances before blowing out a mouthful of air.

"What year is it?" The fox asked their audience in a-matter-of-fact tone.

The tanned girl raised her hand to rub her head where the fox had hit her, pink lips pouting and clearly annoyed at being ignored by the fox.

"What the hell, Kurama! Can't you be nicer now that we're dead? And what do you mean 'what year' dattebayo?! Dead people don't need calendar, do they? Hey, damn bijuu, listen to me when I'm talking to you dattebayo!"

Their audience tensed at her last sentence.

"W-who…h-ho…w-what are you?" Genma finally managed to form an audible question. The now-confirmed bijuu sighed.

"Kyuubi no Yoko, at your service. And this baka over here is Uzumaki Naruto… Hey, Gaki! They're asking questions! Go introduce yourself like a good kit you are...not." The tone was…sarcastic was the best way to describe it. The fox put its hand…paw upon the girl's head and turned her to face them.

'_Did it…he…she just say Kyuubi?'_ Raidou gripped his sword tighter, ready to strike at any given moment.

The blonde finally registered their tensed expressions and battle stances. She stood up slowly, palms up to show she meant no harm and her demeanour changed into a formal one in a blink of an eye as if someone had turned on a switch.

"Ugh, right. The name's Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto, Ninja Registration Number 012607, Team Kakashi, used to be under Hatake Kakashi, Ninja Registration Number 009720 and replaced by Yamato-taichou, Ninja Registration Number 010992. Teammates: Uchiha Sasuke, Ninja Registration Number 012606, Haruno Sakura, Ninja Registration Number 012601 and Sai, Ninja Registration Number 012420. Jounin, Gama Sannin, Sandaime Jinchuuriki no Kyuubi, and umm I guess since Baa-chan died before I did it meant that I'm also the new Shichidaime Hokage no Konohagakure no Sato, dattebayo!"

"Whoa…slow down… Do you even know who we are?" Genma spluttered. The girl nodded, a wide foxy grin spread on her face.

"Of course I do, dattebayo! Shiranui Genma, Tokubetsu Jounin, Ninja Registration Number 010203, Namiashi Raidou, Tokubetsu Jounin, Ninja Registration Number 009717. Both of you are part of the Hokage Elite Guards along with Tatami Iwashi, Chuunin, Ninja Registration Number 012021." She paused before turning her attention to Madame Shijimi. Blue eyes misty. "And you…are Madame Shijimi, wife to the Fire Daimyo. You were asked to become my godmother before my mother had the baby shower ceremony by both of my parents one week before I was born."

The black feline that had been licking her paws studiously until then suddenly glided over to the girl and nipped her left foot lightly with a soft purr. The blue-eyed teen started, looked down and then bent over to scratch the cat behind the ear before picking Tora up to her chests. Her long golden hair cascading down over one shoulder, they shone like liquid gold under the morning light. The girl's back, barely covered with the formerly orange jacket, was free for all to see. Raidou and Genma dipped their heads down in reflex, cheeks reddened at the sight.

"Tora-chan! You died too, huh? I thought only dogs gone to heaven, but I'm glad to see you, dattebayo!" The self-proclaimed Hokage paused at a thought and looked at her audience, "We're going to heaven, right?"

She sounded too cheerful to be dead.

"Come here, Naruto-chan. Give your godmother a hug." The Daimyo's wife stepped forward, then, arms outstretched; offering an embrace that the girl welcomed heartily by throwing herself into the hug.

The fox-bijuu sighed once again and rolled its red pupils.

'_Does bijuu even breathe air like human?'_

"Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto. You. Are. Not. Dead. I most definitely am not dead. Mass of concentrated chakra here, remember? Now," the not-so-big bijuu levelled the two Konoha assassins with a bored stare, and intoned his question slowly, "What. Year. Is. It?"

"Err… Year seventy four, err…Sir?" Was all that Raidou could uttered. Smaller than he remembered the fox might be, but the bijuu's appearance was still intimidating and scary. '_And it's out of the seal!'_ His gut was positively screaming bloody murder.

Naruto blinked from within Madame Shijimi's embrace when she heard Raidou's answer, mouth agape. Seconds passed by and she finally snapped her mouth close and blinked some more. Slowly, the blonde-haired teen pried herself out of the chubby woman's arms and then turned her whole body toward the fox. Hair blowing with the raising wind, jaws locked tight and warm blue eyes narrowed. She took a few calming breathe and spoke.

"Explain."

It was only one word and could barely be heard above the breeze, but both Raidou and Genma could feel the order and the power in that one word even though it was not directed at them. They had to quell their instincts to obey and answer to it with all of their will powers.

'_Did the fox just shrink?'_ Was all that Genma could think of. They, Genma, Raidou and Madame Shijimi, all turned their attention toward the now-slightly-scarred-looking bijuu. The fox flicked its golden tail nervously around and the large tail separated into nine parts. Its head tilted to one side as if it was listening to something far away while its eyes trained at the youngest human in the vicinity with something akin to fear in their depth. At long last it let out a sigh and accommodated its body into a more comfortable sitting/laying position before speaking.

"Put some decent clothes on first, gaki. Your belongings should be intact within their storage. And put on some privacy barrier while you're at it, I'll explain what I could afterwards."

They were locked in a stare-down for a while before the girl finally relented.

"Fine, but you'd better make it good and long and easy, heard that?" The blonde's tone was sharp; she accentuated each word with a stomp of her foot. The kyuubi merely rolled its large eyes.

"Fine. Now go!"

After erecting a large dome of golden barrier with a single hand seal Naruto started to move, but her audience reached out their hands toward her simultaneously; eyes warily trained toward the bigger-than-normal fox. The girl gave them a confused expression.

"What is it, dattebayo? I won't be long, I promise."

"The bijuu…the fox…?" Genma whispered.

"Aaa, he'll be good, won't you Kurama?" She directed her stare at the fox, whom once again rolled its red eyes. "See? You guys can relax. He's not into biting people, dattebayo!" And with those parting words the blonde disappeared behind the nearest bush.

The chakra monster was actually grinning widely at the remaining humans after Naruto left, sharp teeth bared for all to see; which made them doubted the self-proclaimed Shichidaime Hokage's words about 'not into biting' even more. However, Tora was unimpressed in seeing the rows of teeth. She stalked toward the big bad fox, sniffed one of the large front paws once and climbed atop said paw. After circling around for a few times, the black cat actually yawned and stretched her body; and then promptly laying down to resume her morning bath without a care in the world. All the while, the bijuu merely watched her from behind half-lidded eyes; thoroughly bemused.

Madame Shijimi relaxed then. Raidou and Genma meanwhile had stopped expecting anything, well, _normal_.

True to her words, Naruto went back from behind the bush not five minutes later, fully decked in something similar to ANBU gear. She now wore a short-sleeved dark orange tank-top, layered with a sleeveless black mesh shirt. A pair of fingerless black wrists length gloves decked her hands. The muted grey metal plate on the back of her hands had different insignias; the right one had the Leaf insignia, while the left one had the Uzumaki spiral on it, both engraved in burnt orange colour. Her ANBU armour was muted dark grey, as well as the elbow length arm-guards. The black pants were ANBU standards, enclosing her slender legs perfectly, not too loose and not too tight; allowing maximum movements. Her feet were decked in a pair of black open-toed knee-length boots, and they can see there were long slits on each side of her pants from the knees down, carefully tucked into the boots. She had a long dark grey travelling coat thrown over her right shoulder, Raidou's off-white coat was clasp in her right hand; while in her left she held what was left of her blue and orange jacket and pants. The hair was still down on her back, rippling as she walked with unconscious grace toward them.

Once the blonde had come over, she returned Raidou's cloak to its owner with a murmured "Thanks."

The scarred-face assassin received his cloak with a nod, not believing his own voice. Genma let out a muffled groan. Even fully clothed she still looked indecently sexy. Madame Shijimi threw him a nasty glare.

"I don't look that bad, do I?" The girl directed her sapphire orbs toward Genma, and the senbon chewer shook his head furiously.

"No, you look fine." '_Too fine.'_

"You look gorgeous, Naruto-chan" Madame Shijimi reached out a hand with a smile which the girl accepted gratefully.

"Oh, good then. I've never like this outfit, but these are better than the other one I had in my seals, dattebayo!" The young woman beamed at her godmother before turning her attention toward the amused-looking bijuu, eyes narrowed, "So, spill."

"Right. You better sit down, then. All of you. This is going to take some time."

* * *

Konohagakure no Sato –Hokage Office

Sarotobi Hiruzen reached down to one of the drawers on his desk, pulling out his pipe while eyeing his two shinobi with unreadable expression. An open sealed scroll lay in front of him.

Namiashi Raidou and Shiranui Genma had just submitted their mission report half an hour ago, and they had asked for an immediate audience with the Hokage. There was nothing wrong in their mission report and it was unusual for either of them to ask for an audience, so the Hokage concluded that their request might have something to do with their lateness. They were supposed to be reporting in early in the morning and it was almost sundown when they came in with their reports; although unusual for them to be late, but it was also not unprecedented. Logically, the Professor granted their request.

It had been a hectic morning. With the entire Konoha Military Police force being wiped out not six weeks ago, the shinobi force was spread thin. Every ninjas were required to run back to back mission, along with maintaining order within the village. Civilian matters, which were normally dealt with by the Police, now found its way to the Hokage's desk; adding another mountain of paperwork for the Hokage to deal with. It had not been easy, but the reinstated Sandaime believed that his village would pull through.

The problem was, with the sudden decreased of their number, the Hokage were forced to make a new arrangement in circulating the shinobi workload. One of those adjustments was the withdrawing of the protection detail for their jinchuuriki. Sarutobi was well aware that the blonde girl was quite safe from physical attacks, no villagers were foolish enough to openly harm the little heiress; and there was nothing one could do to change the cold, contemptuous look that most villagers thrown her way. They were grieving and it would take time, at least that was what the Sandaime told himself. So, as usual, the good of the many won his inner debate and the protection detail was cancelled.

Early before the sunrise, there had been a commission among the Inuzukas. Their canine companion had started to grow restless and began howling for almost an hour. A disgruntled Inuzuka Tsume had came to report that there was no apparent trigger for the dogs' behaviour, nothing that they could find; the dogs were also incoherent, therefore the Inuzuka's matriarch was unable to question their companions for the moment. The dogs had calmed down for the time being, but still unable to answer any questions, so Tsume had stated that she would come by when she had managed to communicate with their companions later on.

Just as the Inuzuka's Clan Head excused herself, Aburame Shibi had also come to report that their hives had acted unusual that morning with no apparent cause. They were buzzing excitedly and flew around in strange patterns. The queens of each hives were too agitated to be understood, but right after an hour mark, the hives had calmed down on their own. They were still uncommunicative, but the Aburame had promised to notice the Sandaime if he managed to talk to their bugs.

Lastly, Nara Yoshino came into the Hokage office with the report that the Nara herd had been prancing around for an hour in unexplainable frenzy. It was like they were waiting for something big to happened, or someone important to come. She explained that Shikaku was out in the Nara forest observing the deer further and would report if anything else unusual happened. The Nara's matriarch then excused herself as briskly as she came.

The Professor knew that the strange behaviour of the animal-nin should have an explanation, but for the life of him he could not come to any conclusion. There were no records of similar happenings that he knew of, and he had read every history book available in Konoha. He even wrote a large number of them. So, he decided just to wait it out and let time unveiled what needed to be known.

When the first batch of paperwork was delivered to his desk this morning, he found a report of vandalism by 'the village's blonde terror' from a vendor among them. He dismissed the report after a customary glance, but it did remind the Sandaime that he had not checked on his surrogate grandchild since the day after the massacre and proceeded to take out his crystal ball to check on the little girl. Imagine his trepidation when he failed to find the jinchuuriki within the village proper. Belatedly he recalled that the group of ninjas that he knew made a routine in shadowing the girl whenever they were off duty were all out in some mission or other; otherwise he would had already been informed if something had happened to the child. He promptly sent a team of ANBU to search for his successor's only child immediately after that.

The ANBU team that he had sent to look for Naruto had searched the village high and low, and they have not yet reporting in way after midday. The old Hokage feared that Naruto might have run out of the village's gate without anyone being the wiser.

Amidst Sarutobi's growing trepidation about the little blonde's whereabouts, Hatake Kakashi's team reported in with a failed mission. Every members of his team was back safely despite of their beaten up appearances, but the mission objectives had been aborted in favour of their safety. He dismissed the rest of the team to have their injuries treated at the hospital but asked Kakashi to stay. The ex-ANBU would picked up that his sensei's child had been missing within the next hour anyway, so Sarutobi deemed it was better to inform the man of their predicament right away.

The Hatake did not comment nor made any other movement besides raising an eyebrow as he listened to the Hokage's explanation. At the end of the narrative, the elite Jounin merely said that he would search the village himself and excused himself out.

It was almost an hour ago, and the man had not reported back in, yet. He was still in the village, otherwise the last remaining student of the Yondaime would have had reported that the jinchuuriki was found or asked for permission to leave the village to search further. That was when the two assassins standing nervously before him asked for an audience.

The Hokage reread the letter that the two Tokubetsu Jounin had brought with them. It was short, terrifyingly so.

_Hiruzen,_

_I would like a good, long and detailed explanation as to why I was not informed that my godchild is alive after all this time. Make it quick._

_I'm taking the child back to the capital with me for now._

_Bring along your vassals if you must. And the messengers. I don't need any old coots in here. _

_I'm waiting._

The letter bore the Fire Daimyo's wife, Madame Shijimi's seal at the bottom end.

Both Namiashi and Shiranui had explained the circumstances that lead to their current predicament and the Sandaime realized that there was nothing that could be done then but to comply with Madame Shijimi's request. Blowing out a long puff of smoke, Sarutobi contemplated their next steps.

It was a summons; that what the letter was. He had every intention to keep the situation from his Council, so he had no qualms in following the directions given to him. He would have to head off to the Capital early in the morning; however it would have been suspicious if he went out all on his own. Bringing along the Sarutobi houses' vassals would certainly be considered enough guards, but not important enough to be considered 'urgent'. In a way, Madame Shijimi had provided him with a safe way to thread on this new development. He turned his attention to the present ninja.

"Go get some rest; we'll head out early tomorrow. Meet at the Northern Gate at 0700."

"Yes, Sir!"

"You do understand that you are not to speak of this matter to anyone, right?"

"Understood, Sir!"

"Dismissed." Sarutobi waved his hand and both Namiashi and Shiranui excused themselves out in unison.

The Sandaime sighed wearily the moment the door closed behind the two men.

He did not doubt Madame Shijimi's claim to be Naruto's godmother. He did know that Kushina was close to the Daimyo's wife. They were often being seen running around the village together in a shopping spree during the former jinchuuriki's earlier state of pregnancy. He suspected that the chubby woman was slowly introducing the red-head into the upper part of society, with the full support of his deceased wife, Biwako.

Uzumaki Kushina had already known her way among the higher part of society before Minato took office. She was the third granddaughter of the late Uzukage and had been living with the Honourable Uzumaki Mito when she came to Konoha. However, the spit fire of a woman chose to forgo the uptight way of society living in favour of becoming a formidable kunoichi. And what a kunoichi she had been. Kushina was Minato's pillar as Minato was hers. He recalled how she was beaming with love, pride and faith when Minato was inaugurated as the Yondaime Hokage no Konohagakure no Sato. She was still beaming the next day when she and her husband visited Hiruzen and Biwako in Sarutobi's abode; and then had blamed the Sandaime profoundly because Biwako had told her that she needed to take a 'refresher courses in housekeeping as the Hokage's spouse'. They all had laughed at that.

The reinstated Hokage had known that the happy couple had asked his student, Jiraiya, to become the godfather for their unborn child; and the Gama Sennin had happily obliged. As Minato and Kushina were both orphan, the Sarutobis had been asked to become the Honorary Grandparents and they had agreed wholeheartedly. Yet somehow they never discussed the Godmother.

'_I guess now I know who they asked to become the Godmother. It proved that Minato was not as gullible as most people took him for.'_

Sarutobi Hiruzen took out his pipe from between his lips and put it down in its holder on his side table. Sighing deeply, he nicked his thumb with a paper knife from his desk and summon a messenger monkey to deliver his messages to the three vassals of his house; the Ino-Shika-Cho houses. Ino-Shika-Cho would know that it was a social call and not military matter which they were going to deal with at the Capital from the use of the monkey summons, and would treat the invitation accordingly.

As he watched the messenger swinging out of the window and jumping away rapidly; he let out another sigh and addressed his seemingly empty office softly,

"Get me Hatake, please. Now."

The Sandaime could heard his ANBU guards gulping, before one of the invisible guard's chakra flared slightly and disappeared to fetch their former captain just as Amaterasu slid down to rest in the western horizon.

* * *

Hatake Kakashi was not a happy camper.

First, the normal, routine mission had gone awry due to one chuunin newbie who refused to kill their enemies. He did not blame the chuunin for not wanting to eliminate their enemies, there were ninjas who just did not cut out to be out in the field, it was a given. He did not even mad when the enemies whom they had spared turned the table on his team, resulting with serious injuries to his comrades. It was all part of their job; it was as expected to happen on the field. No, he was mad at whoever it was that had passed the meek chuunin for field duty. Some stupid bureaucrats who had been sitting behind the desk for much too long they're getting comfortable, he was sure. Those bureaucrats were lucky that none of his team-mates had been killed, otherwise Hatake Kakashi would made sure that they regretted the day they sat their bums behind the desk.

Coming back home with no scratch on himself, he had planned to soak in an onsen to wash away the filth and grime that had clung to his body like some persistent glue while reading the newly released Icha-Icha, after visiting the Memorial Stone, of course; then getting some filling dinner and sleep the night away at his apartment. He was due to a couple of days off anyway, and intended to use it this week. The Ninja Academy Graduation was scheduled to be next week, and he wanted to be in his finest condition before torturing the fresh graduated team assigned to him this time.

However, there were a quiet restlessness among the patrol and unusual pattern in ANBU movements that he had noticed on their way to the Hokage Tower. Furthermore, the look on the Sandaime's face when they reported in was much too schooled to his liking, and he had a suspicion that he would not like whatever it was the Hokage was going to tell him when Sarutobi Hiruzen dismissed his team and asked him to stay behind.

Kakashi hated it when he was right.

How could a village full of ninjas lose sight of one child in orange?

The first thing he did after leaving the Hokage Office was sauntered into the Mission Assignment Desk and asked for the list of on-mission ninja to check who was in and who was out of the village yesterday. His clearance was high enough for him to demand most information without any hassle, and if it weren't enough, his reputation would be. The chuunin on the Mission desk had promptly handed the requested paperwork without much ado, sweating all the way.

Glancing down the paper, the Hatake noted that everybody who were often keeping an eye on Sensei's only child were out of the village yesterday, except for Tatami, who was stuck in the Barrier Room for three days on end already, not good. He scowled at the offending paper before asking for Gate Duties Assignment. The now-pale-looking chuunin scattered half of the paper on his desk before handing the correct form. He read the Gate Duties Assignment, committed them to memories and tossed the paper back to the trembling chuunin before shunshin-ing out.

Once outside the Mission Office, Hatake Kakashi summoned his packs to search for Naruto's scent within the village before heading out toward the West Gate to check on the guards and to see if he could scent her there. He would check every gate for any sign of his Sensei's only child. He'd put the North Gate for last because Izumo and Kotetsu were there. Both were known to have a soft spot for the village jinchuuriki, it was unlikely that they missed the child passing through. Biding his hot bath and quiet dinner goodbye, the former ANBU captain sprinted out toward his destination in a blur.

By the time he reached the East Gate the jounin felt that his boiling point had come close to the surface. There were no sight, sound or scent of his quarry and the ninjas guarding the West and South Gates were clearly did not give a damn about Naruto's whereabouts. None of his nin-dogs had reported yet, which meant that they were also unable to find any trace of her. And these chuunins manning the East Gate were no different. Taking a quick glance at the Ninja Traffic's Record, Kakashi noted that Raidou and Genma had just returned half an hour ago, but nothing on the little ball of sunshine. Gritting his teeth in agitation, he was about to head out toward the North Gate when a flicker of chakra announced someone coming his way. He opted to wait until the incoming ANBU finished his shunshin and raised an eyebrow. Bear.

"Sir. Hokage-sama requests your present in the Tower immediately."

The former ANBU sighed and nodded to the messenger, signalling he understood and would comply to the summons soon. Thinking things over, he decided to let his ninken continue the search before headed back to the Hokage Tower. He would know whether he needed to stop searching or to resume his vigil after talking to the Hokage, however it would not hurt to make sure to be thorough. He could not lose the only person with some semblance to a family that he had had left. Not if he got any say in it. Mind made up, he shunshin-ed to the Tower.

"Hokage-sama, you called?"

Sarutobi inhaled his pipe deeply. Contemplating the best way to approach the jounin before him about the situation.

The Hatakes were loyal to a fault, it was a given. If that particular trait was missing from a Hatake, their canine companion would refuse their contract, not that it ever happened before. The Professor had learnt that particular titbit of information when he interviewed Shiro, Hatake Sakumo's familiar as he was researching and recording the Clans and Families' Traits for the Konoha Archive. Hatakes also think and act with their pack in mind. It was the main reason why Hatake Sakumo chose to safe his team-mates, his pack, at the time, and abandoned his mission which later led to his suicide and the young Hatake's depression. Being shunned by the pack would inflict unimaginable mental pain for any Hatakes; it was not something that could be easily explained to your average ninjas and villagers.

Hatake Kakashi was no exception. The ex-ANBU was as loyal as any other Hatake before him; the only question was to whom the loyalty laid. The Sandaime would bet his best pipe that the young dog summoner's loyalty first and foremost would always be toward his sensei, Namikaze Minato and his family and by extension, Uzumaki Naruto; his dead team came second. The current Hokage and the village must be content to be put as the third and fourth on the line after a bunch of dead people and a little girl. And now, with the Namikaze's heiress went missing, it would be hard to reign the Sharingan wielder in.

The jounin shifted his weight slightly to the right, obviously became impatient. Hiruzen puffed out a lungful of smoke, a flare of chakra and the privacy seal in the office was activated. The Hatake raised an eyebrow.

"Kakashi-kun, Raidou-kun and Genma-kun had just returned from their mission. They've met Naruto-chan in the woods just outside of Konoha. Apparently she ran away after a prank and could not find her way back."

The Copy-nin visible eye closed for a moment, the only sign that he was relieved. He knew however, that it was not the crutch of the matter. If it was all, the Hokage had no need to activate the privacy seal. He waited.

"However, they met one Madame Shijimi just when they were about headed back to Konoha. Tell me Kakashi-kun, do you know that Madame Shijimi happened to be Naruto-chan's godmother?"

The lone eye widened at that, before a memory that usually being suppressed deeply flashed in Kakashi's mind.

"No, Sandaime-sama, I did not know of it. But I think I recalled when it was likely to happen. It was a week before…the incident. The baby's shower, I think." The baritone faltered for a moment.

"I see….Well, the kind Madame had taken Naruto-chan back to the capital with her and I am to go there tomorrow at 0700. Would you like to come, Kakashi-kun?" The wizened Hokage took out his pipe, waiting.

Hatake Kakashi considered the offer, for that what it was: an offer. He was allowed to choose. In the end he nearly snorted, there was nothing to think over, Sensei's child came first. The unruly silver head nodded diminutively.

"I would like that, Sandaime-sama."

"Good. I'll see you in the morning, then."

"Hokage-sama." The Copy-nin nodded and shunshin-ed out.

Sarutobi Hiruzen moved to the large window at his office and stepped out onto the small balcony.

The conversation that had just passed in his office had confirmed his suspicion about the young Hatake's loyalty. The offer was to measure just how far the jounin would go to protect and follow the Namikaze's heiress. There was actually no need for the Copy nin to come along, since the Hokage was going to go himself. However, by opting to come along, the ex-ANBU had just confirmed Sarutobi's suspicion of his loyalty. He had the answer that he had been looking for. At least he had one less worry in the event of his demise, because he knew then that there was someone who would go far and beyond to protect Uzumaki Naruto. The Sandaime felt at ease for the first time after the Uchiha Massacre.

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**Footnote**:

(1) Yes, I'm alluding to Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken"_._

(2) I am using a rough calculation based on the duration of each Hokage's rule in Konoha. Since Konoha was the first established Hidden Village, I deduced that the Elemental Countries would use Konoha's establishment as the starting point of their calendar, therefore it is called AKF; shortened for After Konoha Founding. I presumed that the canon story started around 78 AKF; and this story starts roughly 4 years before canon, just around the Uchiha Massacre. At this point in time, using the data book as the reference, Konoha 9 would be just starting the Academy. Everyone's age should be 4 years younger than in the data book at the beginning of canon.

(3) I'm not sure in which direction from Konoha that the Fire Daimyo resided. It's not in the map, so anyone who could point it out will have my gratitude and a cookie!

(4) Yes, there is around 0,001% chance that pre-natal gender test result is wrong. It happened to my son. The USG, taken 3 times mind you, stated that my baby was going to be a girl, and I got a boy instead. I'm not complaining about the gender but it took us almost a month to decide on a new, appropriate boy's name.


	3. Chapter 2: Conversations

**Chapter 2: Conversations**

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**AN:**

A bit of suggestion for reading this chapter: To get the feel of what daiko/taiko is, try searching daiko/taiko in youtube dot com.

All of the background info in this chapter could be crossed-checked with the Most Knowledgeable auntie Wikipedia.

Mr./Mrs. Guest: I have an unhappy costumer. Kind Mr./Mrs., to be fair, are you saying that you're reporting every single one of the Female Naruto stories in this site?  
I've been called many names before, but to be honest a feminist for a widely-confirmed tomboy is new. Thanks!

em: Thank you!

And many thanks to those of you who had reviews, favourite and follow this story. Cookies for you!

I'm still looking for a beta, anyone?

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**Disclaimer:** What do you mean I already said that Naruto and and Kakashi and their cronies aren't mine? It's real, then? *grumble grumble*

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Year 74 AKF

The Fire Daimyo's Palace, early morning

Madame Shijimi's pavilion was located at the eastern part of the Fire Daimyo's Palace. The Madame had commissioned the pavilion for her private use right after the recent Fire Daimyo had been inaugurated, and more often than not she used it for the purpose of entertaining her own guests. The pagoda-like structure was small for someone of her stature, but the intricate carvings adorning the woodwork, not to mention the extensive garden and glasshouse made up for the size of the main building. The rectangular traditional house itself was built within the inner wall of the main palace, while the garden was facing outside toward sunrise to give the plantation optimum advantage of the sun. The first floor was one big hall where the Daimyo's wife received and entertained her guests, with a kitchen attached at the back. The second floor was divided into six large bedrooms with private bathrooms where her guests could rest and refresh themselves or staying the night. The highest level was a conference room, used sparsely when she needed to have a private meeting with her guests or households.

Madame Shijimi had shepherded Naruto and Kurama to the Capital of the Fire Country after the fox bijuu explained their arrival. The Madame had hastily written a letter and given it to Raidou and Genma to be delivered to the Hokage with an expressed order to explain that the chubby woman had took her godchild away with her, and that the Hokage must come to the pavilion to discuss everything else. Both Konoha shinobi were also prohibited to mention anything about the Kyuubi and the-now-grown-up Naruto. After having a filling lunch of roasted rabbits, the two assassins excused themselves back to Konoha; and Madame Shijimi half-drag half pushed her god-daughter and her companion back toward the Capital. Tora the cat had found her mount on top of the fox's head and proceeded to sleep all the way there, much to Kurama's ire and Naruto's glee.

Once they reached the Fire Daimyo's Palace, Madame Shijimi had smuggled Naruto and Kurama into the Fire Daimyo's private chamber, introduced them to her husband and then held a lengthy conversation about their current situation. In the end, the Fire Daimyo had agreed to support the Jinchuuriki and her bijuu with their plight. The Great Madame then showed them to her private pavilion to let them get some much needed rest.

At both of Naruto's first meetings with the Fire Daimyo, be it on her previous timeline or the present; the Daimyo had spotted Naruto as a fellow prankster with similar well-crafted mask like his own and had taking a liking to the whiskered girl immediately. In their previous time, the Daimyo had often pestered Naruto with invitations to join his council meetings, much to Naruto's frustration. The blonde kept refusing since she found it hard to hold her laughter while watching her Oji-san's reaction to the commotion made by the so-called noble councillors. Whereas the Daimyo had always been trying to get her into those meetings because he said he'd got a kick out of watching her trying to rein her laughter in. Madame Shijimi actually laughed the loudest at their antics, even to the point of calling them as her private court jesters.

It was on the third floor of Madame Shijimi's private pavilion that the guests for the time being settled themselves on the second day of their arrivals in the current time.

The two of them had awoken refreshed and contented after a good night rest in one of the guest rooms. Early after dawn, Madame Shijimi had sent her personal servants to see to her guests' needs including providing a very large breakfast and changes of clothes. She also sent a package of high quality make ups and hair dye for Naruto to use to obscure the whisker marks on Naruto's cheeks and to disguise her hair colour. They had agreed that Naruto's natural hair colour was too unique and noticeable; and the whisker marks, although much thinner than they used to, were a dead give-away for her identity.

Donned in a lovely peach-coloured yukata(1), blonde hair turned dark red falling down her back; Naruto stepped down to the first floor to have some breakfast. She left her wooden geta in her room, opting to go with her tabi(2) for the moment. Kurama had disappeared early on, saying something about hunting for breakfast in passing.

After cleaning the content of the extensive breakfast table, which consisted of several bowls of steamed rice, a large pot of miso soup, slices of grilled salmons, plates of tamagoyaki(3) and various pickles, Naruto then picked up the tea tray and sauntered to the third floor. She had asked a servant to bring the snacks' tray into the conference room and the little servant girl had also brought along a basket of fresh orange and plum before excusing herself.

Left alone with enough food to feed a small family, Naruto perched on a southern window and started nibbling at a slice of youkan(4) while trying to gather her wits.

She was still much of a hyperactive as when she was a newly-minted genin despite of various training that she had received during her two and half years training trip with Jiraiya and the four years courses as the Hokage-in-training. Not so much of a knuckle-head, but that trait was still there and surfaced every now and then. Therefore, she accepted her current displacement in time with a stride and saw fit to use it in her favour.

There were so many people she could safe, and so many changes that she could make to alter her ruined world for the better. And her godmother had promised to help, too.

Naruto smiled fondly to herself at the thoughts of Madame Shijimi.

In her original timeline, she only met the kind woman after she became a genin and was given the 'Capture Tora' mission at that time. Madame Shijimi had told her god-daughter everything when Tsunade sent Naruto to complete her kunoichi and Hokage training in the Capital after the Fourth Shinobi War had ended.

The Madame had recognized her right away when they came in to return Tora, but resisted to claim her since the Sandaime had not informed the Daimyo's wife about whose child Konoha jinchuuriki really was. She had assumed that it was a random orphan who happened to be available for the sealing and did not inquire into the matter any deeper. A rookie mistake it was and she was no rookie.

It would be precarious for everyone involved if the Madame claimed to be Naruto's godmother then and there. She did not know why Sarutobi never bothered to inform her about Naruto. It could be that he had no idea that Minato and Kushina had asked the Madame to become their child's godmother, or it could be some hidden political agenda. Since from what she saw during their brief meeting, Naruto was considerably healthy and happy, albeit lonely; the Madame had decided to wait until she could gain some more Intel.

When the Sandaime was killed by Orochimaru not long after their first meeting, Madame Shijimi had lost the opportunity to confront Sarutobi Hiruzen and once again decided to wait and see.

It was a great relief for her when Jiraiya contacted her after Tsunade was inaugurated as the Gondaime Hokage, and told her about Naruto. Apparently, the Sandaime did not have any clue about Madame Shijimi's role as Naruto's godmother. The knowledge was lost along with the passing of Sarutobi Biwako and Jiraiya had never suspected that the Madame had never been informed about Naruto. The decision to announce to the world at large that the whole Namikaze household had perished during the Kyuubi attack had been a front to protect the surviving heiress from her parents' enemies, not to hide Naruto's existence from those who needed to know. However, the current Madame Shijimi did not know about that, yet. The jinchuuriki had opted to let the Sandaime to explain it by himself, as she needed to hear it herself.

Jiraiya had taken Naruto to meet with her godmother the first thing when they were beginning the two and a half year training trip. It was a bubbly Daimyo's wife who had welcomed them to the Daimyo's Palace and introduced her to the _real_ kunoichi training. Naruto had spent the first year of her trip in the capital, without anyone in Konoha aside from Tsunade being the wiser.

Madame Shijimi and Jiraiya had put her through the beginnings of her Miko(5) and Maiko(6) trainings as well as drilling the Ninja Juuhakkei(7) relentlessly. It was during those trainings that they discovered Naruto's aptitude toward Fuuinjutsu, since both Miko and Maiko trainings demanded a proficiency in calligraphy.

The old pervert had abused the then thirteen years old girl's calligraphy training to help him editing his so-called 'literature', though. Complaining on the outside, Naruto was actually glad that she could do something for the man who had been willing to take her as an apprentice. However, the Gama Sannin never had the opportunity to complete Naruto's fuuinjutsu trainings since he had been killed not too long after Naruto returned to Konoha.

Jiraiya and Naruto left the Capital after one year mark, with a promise to return as soon as possible to finish her Maiko training and perform her Erikae or the Turning of Collar Ceremony. However, it was not until she had turned nineteen that she'd finally managed to return to the Capital in order to complete her Maiko trainings. It was Madame Shijimi as her Onee-san that bequeathed her a new name, Himawari, or the Sunflower. She addressed the Madame as Baa-chan since the Daimyo's wife was her godmother but during certain occasion they would shift into the role of Onee-san and Imouto-chan.

A whisk of chakra disturbed her musings and she waited patiently for the fox bijuu –Kurama– to materialize in the room.

After the Fourth Shinobi War ended, Naruto felt that it was no longer necessary to confine Kurama and his siblings within her seal. She had told them flat out that she saw them as her friends, her comrades, and friends do not tie each other to obey the other's biding. If she needed help, she would ask for it, and even then they were free to choose whether to help her or not; and vice versa. They were still tied to the seal on her stomach, but she vowed never to use it to contain any of them ever again. Naruto had found it funny that the nine bijuu decided to stick around as much as they could with her after that. Kurama had told her it was because even the Rikudou Sennin never gave them that kind of freedom. Technically, Naruto was the jinchuuriki to the nine bijuu, but they kept the information from the rest of the world. Sasuke knew of course, but he too, agreed that it was much better if they kept it a secret.

Kurama had conceded that he needed to appear in a reasonable size when indoors and among other people, so he took the size of a normal fox indoors and outdoors or transformed into his human form, unless they were in the middle of a dire battle. He retained his tails, though, claiming that the tails were part of his identity there was no way he'd change those and Naruto had to agree to that point. He could always compress the tails to look like one fat tail, anyway.

The Nine Tailed Fox appeared near the snack's table not long after, tails swishing lazily around. He eyed the food spread on the table with a bored look and then hopped to sit beside her by the window.

"What's with the look, Kurama? Still hungry?" teased Naruto.

"Brat. You know I don't eat human food. I like my meat _fresh_, thank you very much." The bijuu answered grumpily. "Your godmother is on the way."

"Aaa…Thanks." Naruto took another slice of youkan and stuffed it into her mouth. Swallowing, she threw Kurama a look.

"What, brat?" The fox grumbled.

"You know, I still can't believe that you actually cried when I died, dattebayo! You do care about me after all, ne?"

"You're never going to let me live it down are you?" was the sarcastic answer.

The tanned girl was grinning widely at the comment and shook her head strongly once. "Nope" She pursed her lips to pop the 'p'.

The fox merely rolled his large eyes. There went his dignity as a thousand years old demon.

"Ano saa… I've never heard about this Bestial Lament before. What is it exactly?"

"Ah, that." Kurama flicked hiss bushy tails one by one before answering, "It's exactly as it sounds. When the beasts were mourning and crying for the loss of loved ones, we lament."

"So, you guys can cry, big deal. There's nothing wrong with that." The young woman moved to sit at the tatami, grabbing a ripe plum along. "What's so special about it?"

"Yaban'na Nageki or the Bestial Lament has only happened twice since the bijuu's creation: the first time it happened was when our father, Otsutsuki Hagoromo passed away, the second time was when you died. In both times it promoted a massive change in the world. The first time around, the Lament re-formed the elemental maps. Mountains crumbled and re-erected differently than before, shores shifted, rivers and oceans re-routed. Total map's changing.

However, the second time had a bigger impact. We actually obliterated everything through time and space. I suppose it's because father is family, it was natural for us to feel and mourn for the loss, beast or not; nothing special about lamenting a family member. With you though…" The chakra beast trailed off and stared outside the window for a while, lost in thought.

Naruto soon got tired of waiting, she threw an orange toward Kurama and the innocence fruit bounced back toward her waiting palm. The bijuu did not even flinch, but the thrown orange did get its attention back to the present.

"Insolent Brat. As I was saying, with you, you're not family; it was unprecedented that we demons would mourn for your –a human– death. We're not even talking for the most part of your life. But you managed to place yourself as equal among us beasts. Not the superior or inferior being most human seen us as, but you regard us as creatures with feelings and thoughts of our own, and you shown your respect to that. You allowed us to choose and actually listened to our choices. Furthermore, you lead people to see us as you do. Losing you was…strangely devastating. I think that what made all the difference."

"What's with the ripping time and space thingy? And me dying and live again? If you could do that to me, why didn't you do that to old man Rikudou when he died, dattebayo?"

"I'm not sure why we could rip everything that you have been through along the time and space. And since your life had touched so many people and places, well, suffice to say that we shredded everything in your timeline up to this point. I don't know why this point in time, before you ask. Perhaps even the deities were impressed by you, brat, it's like they're giving you a second chance. Though the reason _why_ they bother with you is lost to me. You're still that baka and insolent little brat.

As for your revival, it was said that our tears could revive the one that we cried for if they died before their time. The nine of us needed to shed a tear each for it to work however, and it wasn't really our intention to revive you when we wept for you; we didn't even remember that part. I guess it wasn't your time to die, then. As for father, he died of old age and it was his time, I think."

"If you shredded the time and space conti-thingy, why didn't you take me to the future, then?"

"It's time and space continuum, Brat. As for taking you to now instead of the far future, how do you think the future would look like when pretty much of the past had been erased, albeit unintentionally? It'll be all jumbled and tangled; you wouldn't know anybody or any-place."

"I see. And why did my kiddie self need to be absorbed by me? I mean, we could both be like, I don't know, family, right? I could've been her sister or auntie, dattebayo! She wouldn't need to feel lonely like I did."

"Your grown-up self don't belong to this timeline, Brat. You need your kiddie's body to tie you down to the present. Besides, you're unique. There can be only one Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto."

"Aaa….I see now….Wow. You're actually very smart, Kurama. I didn't know that before, dattebayo!" The comment earned her a miffed huff.

"Brat. I'm always smart; it's you who's too dense to notice. Be thankful that I am smarter than you, otherwise you'd be dead on your first mission outside the village."

The Namikaze-Uzumaki perked at that. "Heh. We can save Haku and Zabuza now, right? And we can save Jijii, Asuma-sensei, Ero-Sennin, and Neji, dattebayo! and Yugao-nee's fiancé, Itachi, Nagato, Gai-sensei and Kakashi-sensei…."

"I don't know about that, Brat. If it's their time to die, they'd die."

"Huh, you're no fun. You know what, Kurama? You need more optimism, dattebayo!" She nibbled at a slice of orange and grimaced when she tasted it. "And by the way, where are the others, Kurama?

"They merged with, or to be exact, absorbed their current selves, much like we did. Since our future selves are better and more developed, those parts became the dominant part. As for you and I, I'm whole again whilst your past self only had half of me, not to mention that your chakra network and capacity after housing the nine of us is way larger than your past self. That's why your age was reduced slightly when we got to the present time, you're adjusting to your past self, but the need to accommodate your extensive chakra allowed you to retain most of your grown-up self; so to speak."

"What? They're back as in sealed within human again?"

The bijuu grinned at her. "Not exactly. They can get out of the seal, if so they chose; we're still tied to you. However, it will also take our past selves out, and the vessels would die then. You wouldn't want that, would you?"

The jinchuuriki narrowed her sapphire eyes at her partner, suspicion clearly seen. "You mean you actually take _my_ feelings into account?"

"Don't let it into your yellow head, Brat. You only have so much brain capacity, you might damage it. No, it wasn't really your feelings that we considered. It's our selves. We bijuu are chakra constructs and just like every other things in the world, we respond to those around us. Malice, hatred and other negative emotions are easiest to respond to, because those emotions actually screaming out loud to be noticed, their vibes are sharper and more defined. You humans are always quick to notice when you're miserable, aren't you? Whereas the good emotions: happiness, love, contentment and the likes are much more subtle. Even human themselves took some time to realize that they're happy.

The easiest thing to see is your plants. Have you ever notice what effects you share with your plants when you're talking happily to your greeneries? They grew faster and bloom larger, didn't they? If you're being doom and gloom all the time around them, they'd still grow, but not as pretty as when you're happy. It works both ways, you know. You influence them and they, you.

And there's water. You've heard that water sources near a lively temple are always pure and clear, right? Doujutsu users can attest that water near temples would become clearer during masses and prayers. Good prayers. Water resonates to good things, like prayers and music, too. That's one of the reasons why water in human settlements turned bad, you know. It's not only the garbage that you human thrown into the water that corrupted the water, but also the hatred, petty jealousy among housewives and rivals, grief and sadness around that change it. The denser the population, the water quality is also worse.(8)

And if you paid any attention, it's easier to turn something good into bad than the other way around.

We chakra constructs are exactly like that. We react to everything around us. Since we're actually creatures with minds and power of our own, we could spread more damage in the world and at a much faster rate, too. All those negative emotions clouded our minds, you see. It's not really to our liking when we became mindless creatures bent on the destruction of everything around us, but it's hard for us to deny them.

Now, back to you. You're closest to us now. Maybe not physically all the time, but mentally, we are. Your mental health actually becomes our concern because it will affect us, greatly. It's in our interests that you stay happy."

"Aaa….So in short, when I'm happy, you guys are happy too, right?"

The bijuu snorted. "In a way, yes."

"Aw….That's so sweet, Kurama. You can't deny that you like me now, ne?" The huge grin on her face almost split her face in two and Kurama rolled his eyes in annoyance. "And I still have this Sun tattoo-thingy from your old man, too. Does it mean Sasuke still have his?"

"No I don't think so. I don't even think he'll ever regain it in this lifetime."

"Huh? Why not?"

"_You_ are the Chosen One. The one that tips the balance; the Saviour or the Destroyer. You had _chosen_ to safe everyone and you did, once; but in your death you had also brought the destruction of the world as we knew it, because your death lead us bijuu to unleash a power that even we never knew existed. In a way you had became both by choice.

To answer your question about the Uchiha, it's like this: The Sun will always shine, with or without the Moon. However, the Moon needs the Sun to glow. Besides, think about it. Do you honestly want to go through all of those craps with Orochimaru, the Akatsuki, Pain, Obito and Madara all over again so that Sasuke can get his Mark? Besides, you can save him faster now, the Massacre had just happened. He hasn't drowned too deep in darkness this time around."

The scarlet crown dipped as she stared at the wooden floor. Naruto shook her head slowly. "No. It's not worth it. Too many lives lost as it were…. You're right; I can reach out to him earlier and stop him to fall into the path of revenge." She perked up at the thought of meeting her brother in all but blood again. "And speaking of which, why couldn't we arrive before the Massacre? There're so many people died who didn't have to die. Or before Obito attacked Mum, we could have saved both Mum and Dad, and hundreds of Konoha citizens, couldn't we?"

"I have no answer to that. As I said before, even the nine of us did not know that we could shred time, space and everything in between into pieces, let alone to determine how far the destruction would spread. Take what you've got and make the most out of it, Brat. Isn't that how you lived so far?"

"I guess you're right, we've been given another chance; we'll do what best we can from here on. Mou, what about Isobu, then? Does it mean he's back under Obito's control? He's free now, right?"

"We talked last night. He's still trying to break Yagura out of the Tsukoyomi as we speak. He needs to be as delicate as he can about it. We don't want to tip the Akatsuki this early, do we? We might need to help him as soon as you're ready, though."

"Hey. I'm ready now, dattebayo! What are we waiting for? Those poor people in Kiri don't need to die, dattebayo! We can even save Obito first thing, too!"

"It's not that simple, brat. First, I have no idea how merging with your kiddy self might influence your abilities. You've lost around five years of your original age, you might still remember your techniques, but can your body actually pull it off? You need a thorough assessment before jumping into a fight, you know?"

Naruto pouted and threw the rest of her sour orange fruit into the trash bin in the corner of the room. "Right. I'll borrow a training ground later today. I think I can use Baa-chan's dojo or something."

"You do that. And ask for the permission to use the hunting ground while you're at it. I need to eat, too. The hunting ground has more meats than the local forest."

"I don't see why you wouldn't eat the roasted duck last night. It was very good dattebayo! Hmm, I think I'll order some ramen to the kitchen later. It's been a while since I had ramen, dattebayo!"

"Secondly, we can't just break Yagura out of Tsukoyomi and then leave him and Isobu to themselves. You –we, need plans. You do remember what happened when Yagura outlived his usefulness to that one-eyed Uchiha, right?" Kurama redirected their conversation back to the more pressing matters. When allowed, Naruto could talk about ramen for hours on end.

The tanned girl gulped. She remembered alright. "Obito had Yagura killed and then Isobu disappeared and after being reformed he was loose in the wilderness later on."

"There you have it. It'll take a lot of planning. Long time planning to be exact. Not your strong suit, eh?"

"No. You're right. We need help. A lot of help." She sighed, "Wish we have Shikamaru here."

"The others are going to try to prepare their 'hosts' for the Akatsuki. Those who could already think things through to make their own decisions, like Roshi, Han, Killer Bee, Utakata and Nii Yugito are going to be informed of the Akatsuki. Shukaku and Chomei are merely trying to keep their 'hosts' from going insane for now, as well as teaching them to survive. That leaves Isobu with the hardest task of them all aside from me."

"Huh? What's so hard for you to do, Kurama?"

"Keeping you from putting your foot in your mouth, what else? Everyone agreed I have the hardest job."

"Are you saying I can't keep my mouth shut?" The jinchuuriki narrowed her sapphire orbs toward her partner.

The fox rolled its eyes, again, and decided to let the matter drop. After a while his ears twitched toward the door.

The door opened and Madame Shijimi hopped into the room with eyes shining and mouth grinning widely. She held the door to let Tora stalked inside before shutting it close again.

"Naruto-chan! You're awake! Have you had breakfast, yet?"

"I'm always ready for a second breakfast, Baa-chan!" The tanned girl answered cheekily, hands twining behind her neck.

"Ah, you're truly Kushina-chan's baby. Your kaa-san always put my cooks to the test when she was visiting, you know." The chubby woman remarked, her eyes glazed in remembrance. "Hiruzen will have lunch with your Oji-san. They'll come around after that."

"Aaa. Should I go and change, then?"

The black-haired woman eyed her god-daughter before shaking her head. She herself was wearing her usual black button-down silk shirt, a black knee-length skirt and a pair of heelless black shoes. The ever-present handbag was dangling from her wrist. "It's fine, for now. You're family, and family doesn't need formality with each other, ne? But you'll need to change to meet Hiruzen and his contingent."

"Good. I like these yukata, Baa-chan. I don't think I need to change to meet with Jijii, too. It's too warm for an iromoji(9), dattebayo!"

"You can keep it; it was your mother's. She used to wear it when she's visiting here. But Hiruzen would bring along some other people too, you know. You told me you've already received the dressing lesson, but it seems to me that you're forgetting them. Do you need a remedial class?"

The young woman pouted in hearing the words 'a remedial class'. She narrowed her eyes accusingly at her godmother. "Baa-chan! Not fair! You always threatened me with remedial classes before….or later? Argh! This is so confusing! Never mind that, how do you know I hate those classes, dattebayo?" She whined miserably.

Her godmother chuckled heartily before answering. "You're your kaa-san's daughter. Kushina-chan hated those classes also!"

The sapphire orbs lit up at the comment. Naruto loved it when people mention her similarities to her parents. The only time she hated being compared to either parent was when the reminiscing person had a sad glint in their eyes, like Kakashi and Tsunade, and later on Genma, Raidou and Iwashi, did.

The young woman scratched her nape and consented reluctantly. She had no fancy in wearing formal clothes, despite her knowing the importance of wearing such clothes. "Okay. You got me, Baa-chan."

The older woman smiled knowingly. They were not that much different anyway. Understanding and liking rarely ever went together in the matter of women's garments.

"So, I named you Himawari, huh? It's a good name if I may say so myself. Funny I don't remember naming you, though. Since I don't know what you can do to earn the name, would you like to show me your skill, Himawari?"

"Mou, I'm not that good at it, Onee-san, in your own words, I'm merely 'passable'."

"Aaa…but you have completed your training, right? Surely you understand my meaning when I said 'passable'?" The Madame took a seat beside her god-daughter and motioned the girl to turn so she could do the hair.

"Neh, I really am passable, Baa-chan. You said something about starting a bit too late, you know." Naruto conceded and presented her back to her godmother, showing her long golden-turned-scarlet tresses to the older woman. Madame Shijimi then procured an ivory comb from within her ever-present handbag and began combing the hair. "Besides, I've been running around in boy's clothes for far too long before I received any _real_ kunoichi trainings. The only thing that I play well enough is the daiko."

"You have such lovely hair, Naruto-chan." The older woman's fingers were moving deftly in dividing, twirling and arranging her god-daughter's hair into a tight braid. The hair was rather hard to manage due to its silky nature; it took fast and precise hands to be able to arrange them neatly.

The former blonde blushed slightly, it still took her a lot to take a heart-felt compliment; she was so used to being ignored and considered a nuisance all her life before. Her comrades had only started to take her seriously after the fated Chuunin Exams. Even then, most of her age-groups still treated her as an annoying little knuckle-head. Sasuke's defection and retrieval mission had changed most of Konoha Eleven's attitude toward her, but she left with Jiraiya soon afterwards. It was only after she returned from her training trip that the hatred and fear-filled looks began to wane. And finally, it took the destruction of Konoha in Pain's hands for the villagers to treat her better. If nothing else, the villagers' treatment toward her before and after Pain's Invasion had taught her to differentiate between sincere compliments and sycophants.

"Mum's hair was better." She mumbled.

"The colours are different, yes, but the textures are the same, you know. I used to do your mother's hair when she spent the night here. Your hair felt exactly the same as hers in my hand."

"You've never told me that before, Baa-chan."

"Really now? Looks like I can still surprise you, eh? There, done." The Madame had tied the end of the braid with a tiny rubber band and then wrapped it with black-coloured ribbon. The braid fell just below Naruto's behind, with the loose end curling slightly.

Naruto turned around and faced her god-mother. Smiling softly, she bowed in her seiza. "Arigatou gozaimasta, Onee-san."

Madame Shijimi merely nodded slightly, accepting her thanks as well as announcing her position as Naruto's Onee-san. The corner of her lips twitch slightly in mirth, however; showing that Naruto was more than her Imouto-chan.

"Speaking of which, I have to ask you about those two tokujou from yesterday. You seemed to be quite familiar with them, but I don't trust them. They kept staring at your body like some perverts. Do I need to be wary of them?"

The blue-eyed girl laughed mirthfully at her godmother question. The Madame raised an eyebrow, clearly confused at the laughter.

"Kami, no. You don't have to worry about them, Baa-chan. They're used to be Dad's personal guards along with Tatami Iwashi. The three of them took it upon themselves to watch over me whenever they could, you know. They're like my overprotective, scary older brothers. You should see them the day I stopped wearing boy's clothing, dattebayo! They, along with Iruka-sensei were glaring daggers at whomever staring at me a second too long. When I couldn't get a date, I blamed them afterwards, dattebayo! And you know what they said? They actually had the nerves to say that none of the boys were good enough for me!"

"Ah, really now? Now that you mention it, is there someone that had caught your fancy?"

The laughter died instantly. "No. There hadn't any, Baa-chan."

The chubby Madame could see clearly that it was a forbidden subject. There were uncertainty and immense sadness that went through her god-daughter's eyes. She surmised that there had been _someone_, but judging from her reaction, it was highly likely that that someone had died in her timeline and Naruto was still grieving. She decided to let it slide for the moment; there would be time to bring it up again later. Madame Shijimi wisely changed their topic, then.

"Never mind that," _'for now'_ she added in her mind, "I had sent messages both to your perverted godfather and Tsunade-Hime to come over as soon as they could last night. They've just sent their answers."

The golden head snapped at the remarks. "Seriously, Baa-chan? What did they say?"

"Apparently they were heading to Konoha for some reasons and quite near from here. They'd probably arrive after lunchtime. If I didn't know any better I'd say they'd sensed you're coming."

Kurama who had been silent ever since Madame Shijimi and Tora entered the premise suddenly perked at the words. He had no interests in indulging with what he called 'petty talks' and much more interested in watching the black feline chase his tails around. He had known Tora in the previous timeline and had grown to respect the cat, to the extent that he deemed to call her 'the Lesser Demon'. His sudden interests in the women's conversation did not go unnoticed. Naruto turned her head toward the bijuu who was still lounging at the window sill.

"What is it, Kurama? Something we need to know?"

"Both of them are Summoners, yes? I think their summons might've sensed something, a disturbance, an anomaly, in a way that they couldn't explain." The bijuu stated calmly, "It's very likely that any other creatures from the Summon's world had sensed something too."

A pair of scarlet brows was drawn into a single line at that. "Wait, would that mean Orochimaru would know about us too?"

"Not necessarily _know_, but if his Summons ever mentioned the disturbance, or any anomaly at all, that had happened during our arrival to him, then he might suspect something has happened. Since what we did was the first occurrence and most likely the last, he'd need to have one of us to actually telling him directly. Not much chance in that, I'd tell you."

"What about the other Summons? Temari's Katamari and there's Kakashi-Sensei's pack too! And jijii's monkeys, Gai-Sensei's turtles! And Pain's Summons? What about them, dattebayo?"

"Ah. My speculation is that those who felt the disturbance are those who were closest to you, I meant the Summons, not only the Summoners. Those who've already in tune with your chakra. But we'll have to wait and see about them."

"What? You're not sure? What happened to the 'I'm a thousand years demon, I know a lot more than you do' dattebayo?!"

"Naruto-chan," Madame Shijimi deemed it necessary to cut through her god-daughter's tirade before it truly began, "I think the fox is right, he said it himself: what happened with you was the first of its kind, there's no use to over thinking things now. Just stay alert, okay?"

The whiskered girl pouted; clearly she thought it was far from over, her glare certainly declared that she would pursue the issue later on. However, she also realized that both Kurama and Madame Shijimi were right. Speculation would get them nowhere.

"Fine." She stood up and stretched her back, "I'm going to ask for some ramen from the kitchen, Baa-chan. You told me your cook can make some tasty ramen, and from what I remember, it was okay. Nowhere near Ichiraku's, though, but better than nothing. I'll be right back." She strolled out of the room as she spoke.

Both bijuu and the remaining human in the room watched her back disappeared behind the door.

"Oh, my. She's not sulking, is she?" The Madame threw the Nine-Tails a look of exasperation.

Tora had finally given up chasing one of the fox's tails and climbed in between Kurama's front paws instead. The bijuu merely flicked his ears in humour before answering the question, "Nah. She knows that you and I are both right, but she's just too stubborn to let the matter drop."

The Madame's lips twitched into a fond smile. They settled into a comfortable silence for a while, both watching Tora turning around on her self-proclaimed throne until the feline found an acceptable position to lie down. Kurama addressed the Daimyo's wife, then.

"You know that your spying seals are useless with me around, don't you?"

The Madame, feeling that there was no use in denying the existence of such seals, nodded slightly. "I know. Both of you have too much chakra on your own that any spying seals are rendered useless when you're in the room. It happened with Kushina, too, I suppose your chakra acts like a buzzer. Anyway, the seals are there for people who refuse to answer some questions or if they're questionable themselves." She raised her hand to stop Kurama from talking.

"I realized that there are things that you'd kept to yourselves, and I won't hold you or Naruto for that. What you both knew and what you both have been through are yours and yours alone. The fact that you're both here in this timeline is a clear indication that things don't have to stay the way it was, that _your_ memories don't have to be _our_ memories in due time. I'll trust either of you to impart any information that you deemed important for me to know.

It's the same with the Daimyo, you know. We may like to fool around and make a mess every now and then, but we do know that there are things which are forbidden to be threaded lightly. The world's welfare is one of those things."

"Ah. Good. We understand each other, then."

A chubby finger was wriggling in front of Kurama's face, the owner clearly amused.

"No. _You_ understand me, but_ I_ barely scratch your surface, O, Great Fox. Yet I am content with that. There are things that never meant to be fully understood by us common human. I accepted that long ago."

Kurama let out a loud harrumph noise through his nose and the clever eyes rolled in their sockets in what suspiciously looked like a suppressed fondness.

Ever since he decided to give Naruto a chance in friendship, there had been a number of human following her soon after. The first human that had accepted him right after Naruto –the Nine-Tails Demon as a comrade– was a man who had also suffered a great loss during Kurama's rampage in Konoha all of those years ago. Kurama had grown to respect that man amidst the war. Unfortunately, the man had died before the war was over.

However, the number of human who accepted the demon as a comrade grew quite rapidly. Madame Shijimi was one of them. She had not only accepted Kurama quite readily, but the bijuu had also learnt to respect her, which was a rare thing for him. That respect extended to Madame Shijimi of this timeline, since she actually always had an open minded opinion of the world; never one who was prone to prejudices.

Talking to the Madame had always been an entertainment for Kurama, no matter what the topic of their discussions.

Naruto opened the door as wide as it could go to let a servant girl pushed a trolley full of ramen bowls into the room.

"My, that was fast, Naruto-chan."

"Heh, I've already asked for some ramen when they're serving breakfast early on. They've had the noodles and the soup ready when I came into the kitchen, dattebayo!" The young woman's face was beaming above the arrays of ramen bowls of various tastes. "Hmm…Ramen!"

The whiskered girl proceeded to sit down on a tatami, grabbing a pair of chopsticks, breaking them into two, clasped her hands in front of her chest, chopsticks held across between her thumbs and her palms, and with a joyful "Itadakimasu!" started her Ramen Fest.

Madame Shijimi gave some whispered instructions to the servant girl while her god-daughter indulged herself with ten bowls of ramen. The little girl bowed and then withdrew silently from the room. The Madame turned her attention back to Naruto and blinked. And blinked again.

She had spoken to her maid in less than in one minute, and by the time the little girl was out of the room, Naruto had finished five bowls of ramen down to the last drop. She did not heard any clinking sound of the chopsticks meeting ceramic bowls, meaning that the blonde still applied her table manners perfectly except for the speed eating.

And speaking of speed, while the Madame was busy musing her Imouto-chan's table manners, said girl had managed to clean the rest of the bowls.

The blonde sighed in bliss; she bowed before the bowls and a satisfied "Gochisosama deshita!" was heard, earning a low chuckle from her Baa-chan and an eye roll from Kurama.

"So, Himawari, I had the maid to set a chuu-daiko(10) at the courtyard for you. I'm asking for a performance soon."

The ramen-induced happy glow dimmed slightly at the soft-spoken remarks. Suppressing a groan, Naruto straightened her back before bowing, "Hai, Onee-san."

"Good. Go and prepare yourself. Don't forget to create a bunshin and henge it into your eight years old self. Naho will be joining us outside, and people may notice things, see?"

* * *

It was a surprised Sarutobi Asuma who greeted the Sandaime Hokage and his contingent in front of one of the many hidden gates of the Fire Daimyo's Palace. After a stiff greeting to his father, the burly man turned around, murmured "This way, gentlemen." And lead the groups along the hidden passage to the Daimyo's private quarter.

Asuma's team of three had just relieved the night's shift in the Palace when the Daimyo called him into the private chamber. The Fire Daimyo then informed the brunette that he was expecting some people for private lunch. Asuma alone was to show them in through the myriads of hidden passages in the Palace and bring the guests straight to the Fire Daimyo's private quarter. The young Sarutobi had complied and went to the appointed gate to wait.

He had never suspected that the private meeting would be with ninja from Konoha, let alone his own father. Normally the meeting between the Fire Daimyo and the Hokage would be held in full assemble of the council from both sides. However, not only the Daimyo had underlined the secrecy of the meeting, the Hokage's contingent themselves were not of Konoha Council. He could understand Kakashi, Genma and Raidou's presents, most likely they came as guards; what he failed to comprehend was the present of Ino-Shika-Cho clan heads.

'_Maybe it _is_ a personal matter_.' He mused, noting the absence of the Hokage's cloak and hat. However, he was still at lost about what kind of personal matters that the Sarutobi House had with the Fire Daimyo. From the slightly raised silver eyebrow that he had noticed before he turned around earlier on and Shikaku's not-so-bored expression, the people accompanying the Hokage had no clue either.

Deciding to let the matter drop for the moment, Asuma opened the inner gate which would admit them directly to the Daimyo's quarter. He stepped aside to let the guests in before discreetly pushing the hidden panel to return the hidden door to its former camouflaged state. Not that being discreet would matter much with these kinds of people, but he had to follow the procedure.

The Fire Guardian resumed his position as guide and led the Konohan into the appointed room within the Daimyo's quarter.

The soft knock was answered immediately.

The Fire Daimyo himself opened the door and heartily greeted the Sandaime and his contingent. He ushered the older Sarutobi and the Ino-Shika-Cho into the room and instructed Asuma to accompany the younger ninjas.

"Our wife is expecting them, young Sarutobi. We think it would be prudent to show your young friends the way to her pavilion and wait for us there." He waved them off before closing the door behind him, leaving the five younger ninjas outside.

"Aaa…that was weird." Asuma scratched the back of his head in confusion and addressed his friends, "What was that all about?"

A collective blinks were all he got for answers. He sighed and beckoned his temporary guests to follow him toward the Madame's pavilion. Faintly, he could hear the beating sound of a drum from that direction.

"So, how are you guys doing?" He have not seen much of his friends for the last couple of years, ever since he was drafted as one of the Twelve Guardians; he might as well as use their current situation to catch up.

"Well, not much, really. You know the usual; missions, missions and more missions. Another year and I think I'll never erase Raidou's face from my memory." Genma drawled. "Kakashi's been demoted, you know. I think they'd finally had enough of him around. He's one of us regulars, now."

"Huh, last time I saved your sorry ass you swore to never ask for a different partner, Genma." Raidou chided his permanent team-mate.

"Meh, I was poisoned back then. Delirious and such, see?"

"Right. I told you they were toadstools, not mushroom. Did you listen to me? Nooo…. You'd just had to taste some, and I had to throw away my best pants that you've re-dyed with your puke. Lucky I remembered to bring _two_ pairs of extra pants; otherwise I'd have to carry your ass back without my pants on. I pity whoever's going to replace me as your mission partner."

"What's the matter with that? You've got some fine ass, nothing's wrong with flaunting them around!" Genma moved his ever-present senbon to the right side of his mouth and leered at Raidou. The scarred tokujo face-palmed in a frustrated sigh. There's just no cure for Genma.

The young Sarutobi heard Kakashi giggled behind them. Thinking that the stoic jounin had finally decided to join their conversation, he looked back toward his friend and blinked. The now-regular-ninja's nose was buried behind an orange-covered book, one hand in his pocket and giggling. _'Isn't that porn?'_

Genma, who had noticed his gaze elbowed him on the ribs and mock-whispered, "See, told you so."

Asuma rolled his eyes. He fished for a pack of cigarette out from his pocket, took one stick out and lighted it. He inhaled deeply and threw Raidou a look.

"What's with him?" He tilted his head slightly toward Kakashi who was still deeply immersed in his book. Raidou merely shrugged his shoulders, telling that he was not sure himself.

However, he could sense that both Genma and Raidou were throwing nervous glance toward the Hatake every now and then.

There was a subtle change in Hatake Kakashi's gaits that the Fire Guardian noticed immediately. He could not really pinpoint the difference between this Kakashi and the Kakashi that he had known before he joined the Twelve Guardian of Fire a few years back, but the shift was there. Genma had mentioned that the Copy-nin had been demoted to regular force, could it be that leaving ANBU –not that anyone really ever quit the ANBU once they were in– had done Kakashi some good?

Another giggle.

Well, reading porn in public was definitely new. However, the burly man had noticed the difference even _before_ the ex-ANBU pulled the book out from somewhere. The face –well, quarter of the face– was somehow less troubled and the body language was definitely far more relaxed than he had ever remembered Kakashi being.

Asuma was about to call to his silver-haired friend when he noticed that they had already came to the ancient oak tree that marked the entrance to Madame Shijimi's pavilion. The sound of the drum had intensified; he beckoned his friend to enter the large courtyard and stopped.

* * *

Raidou had caught on Genma's attempt to diffuse his nervousness around the Copy Nin.

After the meeting with the Hokage the night before, they both had begged Iwashi to let them spend the night at the sensor ninja's room. Iwashi, slightly disoriented from having had to spend three days in a row within the Barrier Room; had blearily let them in and went back to sleep. They were both avoiding a sure-to-come interrogation from one Hatake Kakashi about the whereabouts of their pseudo-sister, there was no denying that. Thinking that by early morning they would be out of the village and therefore safe from a certain masked jounin's probing, both himself and Genma had fallen asleep almost immediately.

Imagine his surprise when the first person that he and Genma had encountered while they were waiting for the Sandaime at the Northern Gate was the Copy-Nin himself. Genma had actually groaned when they first sensed the fast approaching chakra signature. Fortunately for them both, the Sandaime and the Ino-Shika-Cho had arrived not a second later.

Much to his –and Genma's– relieved, they had sped up through the trees in silent. The scarred-face tokujo was praying fervently that by the end of this particular journey they would have no need to explain anything at all to the ex-ANBU. He really had no wish to find out whether Kakashi had earned his infamous nickname as the 'Friend's Killer' or not.

* * *

Hatake Kakashi eyed the two tokujo's from behind as they were following Sarutobi Asuma through the myriads of hidden passage within the Daimyo's Palace. He was trying to analyse their unusual behaviour toward him ever since they met that morning at the Northern Gate.

When his internal alarm clock rang at 0430 that morning, Kakashi coaxed his body up to leave his comfortable futon. Showering, putting on clothes, preparing and taking breakfast took him about forty-five minutes. After locking up and putting up the traps littered around his apartment, the jounin went to pay his morning visits at the Memorial Stone. Over an hour mark of talking to his dead team-mates, he remembered that he had delayed looking for Raidou and Genma the night before, as he was too weary to move around much longer. He then headed out to Genma's quarter only to find that it was dark and locked up. Hoping he could catch up with the senbon chewing tokujo at Raidou's place, he leapt up to the adjacent building toward Raidou's room. However, the apartment was also locked and empty.

He had arrived at the Gate at 0700 to find Genma and Raidou huddled and whispering close together. The ex-ANBU was about to greet them when the Sandaime along with the clan heads of Yamanaka, Nara and Akamichi showed up, thus Kakashi pushed his curiosity to the back of his mind for the moment.

The Hokage greeted them all a cheery good morning and told them that they were to leave immediately, his Kage's robe and hat noticeably absent. The six ninjas fell into formation at once and sped through the gigantic trees that lent it canopy to Konoha's protection.

As a front-line combatant and advanced tracker, Kakashi had taken point, flanked by Shikaku to his right and Genma to his left. Raidou followed behind the Nara's clan head while Inoichi fell behind Genma, putting the Yamanaka's clan head sensor ability at the best position. Akimichi Choza closed the formation at the back and with the Sandaime in the middle of the formation, they had all sides covered.

They travelled in silent, the Hokage clearly had indicated that they were to arrive as fast as they could and all of them being veteran ninjas had complied without much ado.

The sun goddess was smiling merrily high above their head when they arrived at the capital. The Sandaime had taken to lead them to a side wall then, where they met with a surprised Sarutobi Asuma by a hidden door. They then followed the Fire Guardian inside through a maze of hidden passage that Kakashi knew ended up within the Fire Daimyo's private quarter.

Kakashi had often guard Uzumaki Kushina through the same maze when she was visiting Madame Shijimi for tea; and he had deduced that the meeting between the Hokage, the Fire Daimyo and Madame Shijimi was not of a public matter. Considering what the Sandaime had told him the previous night, it was highly probable that Konoha Council had no knowledge about the nature of the meeting. Also, judging from his companions' expressions, only Genma and Raidou had the needed information.

They left the Hokage and the Ino-Shika-Cho trio with the Daimyo, following Asuma through the inner path that Kakashi knew would lead them to Madame Shijimi's pavilion. Suddenly feeling crowded with the memories of Kushina-san's excited laughter and suppressed giggling while she was ruffling his hair; he took out Jiraiya-sama's newly published book from his waist pouch and began reading. Mentally shaking his head off the images from the past, he half-heartedly listened to his comrades' conversation with the sound of a beating drum in the background.

The sight of the large kashi or the evergreen oak tree at the entrance of Madame Shijimi's pavilion had him cringing at another memory.

'_Here 'Kashi, wait for me here under the kashi tree, okay?' giggled._

_Huffed. _

_Another giggle._

Kakashi was brought out of his reverie when he noticed that his companions had stopped walking. Confused, since he knew that they were still steps away before reaching the pavilion, the silver crown raised and he too, stopped.

There were crowds of maids gathered at the edge of the courtyard. The jounin could see Madame Shijimi lounged on a wooden divan in front of her pavilion, a four year old girl with brown hair sat at her lap. A little to the back Kakashi could see little Naruto sitting quietly, transfixed.

They were watching a young woman playing a single chuu-daiko in the middle of the courtyard, and Kakashi's good eye too, drawn to the girl.

She was facing Madame Shijimi and had her back to the crowd. The girl was garbed in a soft-coloured yukata, both ends of her sleeves were tied up away from her elbow. The yukata was tied loosely, showing that she wore a similar colour hakama(11) underneath; providing her with easy movements. Her long hair was red bordering brown, braided and tied low below her waist.

Kushina-san?

Kakashi blinked.

He realized that the girl's hair was much of a darker shade of red than Kushina-san's.

She was playing a traditional bondori(12) rhythm.

The red tassels at the end of her bachi(13) spun and twirled along with the falling and raising of her hands.

The strokes were powerful and precise.

Her kata were exact and fluent.

A gentle leap of the feet and a sharp descent of the body.

Sweet summer breeze.

A snap. Her hair was loose. The strands were flying like flame.

A fast succession of double beats.

Thunderstorm rolling by.

A gentle tap of the bachi.

Water dripping on the leaves.

A soft nudge at the drum.

And everything went back to the way it was.

There was a collective claps and the spell was broken.

Having bowed toward Madame Shijimi, the girl then turned around to bow to the crowd and Kakashi heard a sharp intake of breath from Genma, he tucked away the gesture to be pondered upon later.

The Madame noticed their presence then, and she motioned Asuma to approach her. Obligingly, they followed the Fire Guardian into the Pavilion.

Inside the large reception room, they found little Naruto and the four years-old brown-haired girl chattering excitedly with the red-head. When said red-head sensed the four shinobi's presence in the room, she raised her pointy finger before her lips and made a soft shushing sound which stopped the incessant chatter immediately. The oldest girl bowed at them, Naruto waved merrily toward Genma and Raidou, while the youngest merely stared at the strangers before the eldest girl excused themselves and then led the two younger girls up the stairs.

The Madame then told them to have lunch there at the pavilion before she too, excused herself up the stairs; leaving Asuma, Kakashi, Genma and Raidou in the care of her servants.

* * *

Sarutobi Hiruzen, Nara Shikaku, Yamanaka Inoichi, Akimichi Choza and the Fire Daimyo passed through the first floor of Madame Shijimi's pavilion where the four younger shinobi were resting after being served an elaborated lunch. The Daimyo waved off the Konoha shinobi's bow and proceeded to climb the stairs up to the second and third floor in fast yet unhurried steps. His guests were following close behind him, their faces expertly schooled to that of a blank mask. The Sandaime signalled his shinobi to stand their ground as he walked by them. The four younger ninjas nodded their understanding.

They entered the conference room where the Daimyo's wife was waiting for them by the entrance along with a red-headed girl sitting at an inconspicuous corner with her head down. A fox was lying by her side, its tails twirled around one of the girl's hand. Soon after everyone had been seated, Madame Shijimi closed the door and promptly locked it tightly while the red-head raised her hand in a single hand seal. The occupants of the room felt an immense burst of chakra and could see a powerful barrier had been erected. After a moment of intense silence, the Fire Daimyo tilted his chin diminutively toward his wife.

"Right. Let's cut through the pleasantries. Naruto-chan, if you please?"

The red-head raised her head slowly while standing up; gasps of surprises could be heard from the Daimyo's guests.

When the Fire Daimyo had finally explained the reasons for calling him to the Capital, Sarutobi had raised his eyebrows in surprise. He had thought that the Daimyo was jesting with them, but the usual gullible front was missing from the Daimyo's face and the Sandaime realized that the man was serious. As far as his knowledge, time travel was only a speculation upon paper. To think that his surrogate grandchild had travelled from a destroyed future was, to put it lightly, unprecedented. However, he noticed the 'Aha!' look on Shikaku's face, and he was willing to listen to the Daimyo's brief explanation. The Professor was still somewhat doubtful when he followed the Fire Daimyo to Madame Shijimi's pavilion.

However, looking at this girl….

The girl was staring straight at the Sandaime's eyes, her ocean-coloured eyes glimmering with unshod tears while her body coiled tightly as if it took everything she had not to shake. The wizened Hokage did not even realize that he too, was standing up.

"Jijii…."

The nickname was barely audible, but Hiruzen heard it loud and clear. More like his heart had heard it than his ears. He scrutinized the red-head's face minutely, not wanting to miss any details. The hair colour was different, the eyes' shape was different, hell, even her age was different from the last time he had seen her not five weeks ago; but there was no mistaking that expression. It was the same longing expression that he had seen countless of time on little Uzumaki Naruto's face when she asked about her parents and family. The same adoring look that one little bundle of sunshine had bestowed him when he took her out for ramen.

He did not even realize that he had opened his arms until the girl was gripping his waist in a relieved hug. The Sandaime closed his arms around Naruto's lithe form then, one hand stroking her hair and the other tapping at her back soothingly.

Sarutobi held the sobbing girl in his arms for hours, or seconds, he did not really know.

Naruto tried and tried to stop her falling tears without any success, but she had missed Jijii so very much. It was his kind smile that had warmed her heart when she felt so alone and cold inside. It was his tender gaze that had strengthened her resolves when she was about to break down and gave up. It was his gentle tap on her back that had helped her moved forward toward her goals.

For the longest time, Jijii had always been there for her and she had missed him every day of her life since he died at Orochimaru's hands.

After what seemed to be hours, her tears finally dried out and she coaxed herself to loosen her grips on Jijii's waist. She reached to one of the Sandaime's hand, inhaling the burnt tobacco's scent that screaming 'Jijii' deeply and took a step back.

"I'm so sorry, Jijii."

She was sorry for many things. Sorry for crying, sorry for letting the Old Man died once before, sorry for not being able to stop Sasuke from defecting Konoha, sorry for allowing Asuma-Sensei died while protecting her from the Akatsuki, sorry for not being able to save countless of Konoha's citizens: be it ninjas or civilians, sorry for failing her duty as a Hokage and so many of her other failures.

The look that the Sandaime gave her made her thinks that Jijii _did_ understand.

Wrinkled knuckles wiped away the remnants of her tears and she blinked.

They had a conversation due, one which the sooner it was done the sooner they could start planning and scheming. The sooner they could hopefully steer the future away from the path of destruction. Baa-chan had said to cut through the pleasantries. '_Right, that's what I'll do, then'_.

She turned to face the Yamanaka clan's head and bowed slightly, still holding the Sandaime's hand in hers.

"Inoichi Oji-san," she murmured, "If you please, you can start your Shindenshin no Jutsu (Mind Body Transmission Technique) on me to speed up our meeting. I can enhance the technique for you so that everyone in this room can see and hear what you do. I must warn you all, though: There are things that I'd like to keep to myself, as I don't think they've any relevancy to the crux of the matter."

Inoichi eyed the girl before him carefully, and then threw a minuscule of a glance toward Choza and Shikaku. He sensed rather than saw both of his best friends nodded their agreement. He sighed.

"Alright. I take it that you're familiar with the technique?"

The red-head nodded and sat down in front of him, her hand still gripping the Sandaime's tightly. "I am. Whenever you're ready, Inoichi Oji-san."

The Yamanaka drew a calming breath and put the palm of his right hand on top of the girl's head. Faster than any other mind probing that he had ever done before, images started to flood his mind. Some were too fast to be discerned, but others were considerably slower so that he could watch them with clarity.

Naruto showed them many things and skipped on others.

She showed them Orochimaru's placing his Cursed Mark on Sasuke and Otogakure's Invasion, also fighting Gaara and Shukaku on the outskirts of Konoha, but she skipped the Sandaime's death. Meeting Itachi for the first time, finding Tsunade, battling Orochimaru alongside Jiraiya, Tsunade and Shizune. She showed them Sasuke's defection and her promise to bring Sasuke back, but skipped on their battle at the Valley of the End.

Her training trips with Jiraiya and her courses with Madame Shijimi, saving Jiraiya from hordes of towel-clad, angry women from various onsens, editing the boring book that Jiraiya called literature were happily shared.

Returning home to Konoha, how she and Sakura defeating Kakashi with spoilers and saving Gaara. She showed them chasing after Sasuke and Orochimaru, intensive elemental training with Kakashi and Yamato-Taichou, battling Hidan and Kakuzu alongside Team Ten but skipping on Sora's rampage in Konoha and Asuma's death. How they were trying to contain the Sanbii, chasing after Sasuke, again, and meeting Itachi, again.

Skipping on Jiraiya's death but showing them her Sage training at Mount Myouboku, coming home to an obliterated Konoha, sensing the missing chakra signatures, battling the six Pains, meeting her father in her mindscape, talking to Nagato and Konan and the revival of the fallen Konoha shinobi.

Another Sasuke's chase, meeting Tobi/Madara and learned about the Uchiha Massacre, Danzo as the Hokage, her bijuu training with Killer Bee and Gyukii and the happy memory of meeting her mother. How she extracted the Kyuubi's chakra with Kushina's help. Becoming an Empath like Uzumaki Mito.

The Fourth Shinobi War. The devastation, the desperation, ninjas fighting Edo Tensei-ed loved ones. Fighting dead Jinchuuriki, breaking Obito's mask, Sasuke's return, battling alongside the Edo Tensei-ed Hokages against the revived Madara. She showed them how she and Sasuke died and being revived. Finally, along with Sasuke, managed in defeating Madara for good. She skipped a whole lot of other's death, including Inoichi's and Shikaku's death.

Showing them the aftermath, the temporary peace and in the end, the calamity that had led to her death before the nine bijuu revived her once again and brought her back to this timeline. She skipped the part where all the nine bijuu are tied to her seal, albeit loosely.

Naruto cut out her mind connection with Inoichi and straightened her back. There were muffled steps and the next thing she knew she was wrapped around Madame Shijimi's embrace and Jijii had unknowingly gripped her hand to the point of it being painful.

"My child," Naruto turned around to face the-now-sitting-down Sandaime, "I am deeply sorry for all the hurts I've caused you."

And the Kami no Shinobi bowed before her.

Before she could utter a single word to ease the Sandaime's guilt, there was a quick rap on the door and then the gruff voice of Sarutobi Asuma echoed through the room.

"Daimyo-sama, I'm very sorry to disturb your meeting, but we're under attack!"

* * *

**Footnote:**

1 Yukata: Informal, loose kimono for outdoor (summer) use

2 Tabi: Ankle high socks with divided toe to be used with geta/zori (wooden sandals/woven flip-flops)

3 Tamagoyaki: Rolled omelet

4 Youkan: Dessert made of thick jelly, red bean paste, and sugar

5 Miko: Japanese shrine maiden, kunoichi often disguised as wandering Miko

6 Maiko: Geisha apprentice, ninja often placed in tea-houses, onsens etc. disguised as Maiko

7 Ninja Juuhakkei: The Eighteen Ninja Disciples

8 Emoto, Masaru "The Message from Water" series

9 Iromoji: Single coloured kimono for tea ceremonies

10 Chuu-daiko: Medium-sized Japanese drum

11 Hakama: A divided knee-length skirt

12 Bondori: Traditional festive rhythm

13 Bachi: Daiko sticks. Straight, thick drum sticks.


	4. Chapter 3: Just Like (Never) Before

**AN:** Ja minna!

So very sorry for the delay. The scenes that I've allotted to this chapter just won't gel together nicely. The fighting scene was fighting against me xP, hope it came out okay.

In case you haven't notice, this story is the first story that I publish in this site, and I'm still trying to get a hang of the system. I've made a mess in the chapter names (the box that you click to change the chapter at the upper right corner), if anyone can direct me how to fix it, I'll be forever grateful. xD

All characters that I'm going to put in this story are characters that you'll find in Narutoverse, be it in the manga and/or the anime. I'm going to draw a whole lot of minor characters out and give them more roles. Naho is a little girl with a vague connection to the Fire Daimyo and Madame Shijimi. She appeared in Naruto the anime, part 1 (before time-skip). She's a Sasuke's fangirl.

**Warning:** If you're not following the manga, this story contains tons of spoilers.

**This chapter is based on, among others, The Twelve Fire Guardian Arc.**

Since there's no specific time in canon up to this point about when the fiasco within the Fire Guardian really happened, aside from 'approximately 10 years before' the Twelve Fire Guardian Arc; I took the liberty to place it after Uchiha Massacre.

This is a fem!Naruto AU, Time Travel story, if this is not your cup of tea, let us just agree to disagree and leave in peace.

Thank you for reviewing, favorite, and following this story. It's good to know that you found my story's to your liking.

Reviews, constructive criticisms are welcome.

Beta Wanted!

**P.S:** Just curious, in reference to chapter 675, which do you prefer, Sharingan no Kakashi or Kakashi No Sharingan?

Now, open the cage and release the butterflies!

* * *

**Disclaimer:** 992, 993, 994, 995….Yesss, five more paper cranesss and Naruto and Kakassshi and the gang will be mine at lassst….Ku…ku…ku…kugh…ugh…ugh…Water, ugh…ugh…pleassse….

* * *

**Chapter 3: Just Like (Never) Before**

* * *

74 AKF

Somewhere off the border of the Land of Rain and the Land of Fire

A disgruntled looking young man around the age of 20 could be seen running toward the capital of the Fire Country. His mostly black-colored clothes were rumpled; they were even ripped apart here and there. A short sword –a tantou– was hanging on his right waist. An equipment pouch hung at his left waist and a kunai pouch was strapped at his right thigh.

The straight, long black hair was loose just below his lean shoulders; the pale skin was even whiter than it usually was. He stopped under a pine tree to push away the soft bangs of his hair back and to try to determine where exactly he was at. If his memory served, there should be a small inn about half an hour away from the next fork. He hoped to find some food and stationery there, also to be able in digging for some information as to what was going on. Tightening his hold on his brother he carried on his back, the man kept on running to the east.

The last thing he remembered before everything went white was cradling the head of his dying friend upon his lap, desperately trying to ease his friend's sufferings. Then he had awoken in a strangely _familiar_ cabin, with his _dead_ brother asleep on the other _small_ bed in the austere room, his friend was _nowhere_ to be found. He had spent the next half of the hour trying to dispel what he had thought to be a very good and strong genjutsu. When everything around him stayed the same no matter how hard he flared his chakra, he decided to _do _something, _anything_ else instead.

He had found and knocked off a pair of ninja guarding the gate to the cabin, stripped them off of everything they had: money, weapons, and clothes; tied and gagged them up before dragging the two back into the cabin. Served them right for being too relaxed on guarding duty, he had been flaring his chakra all morning and those guards did not even bother to check behind the closed gates. He checked the content of his sealing tattoo, only to find that he had no spare clothes in them, and no stationery, either. Rummaging the cabin, he only managed to find some small clothes, an old brush and a brand new sketch book. He took those with him and went back into the bedroom where he had stored everything that he had seized from the two guards beforehand.

One of the guards was the same size as he was, so he donned the ninja's clothes and equipment, then he pocketed the money before gently lifting his still sleeping brother's form up onto his back. The boy twitched a little but went on sleeping. Subsequently he locked the cabin uptight, set it on fire and took off running. He recalled that the cabin was located somewhere west of his village, hence he ran toward the sunrise. He remembered that they had approximately three hours before someone was scheduled to come to the cabin and start training both his brother and himself.

He had no clue of what had happened to his friend or even himself. The cabin should have been destroyed years ago, his brother should have not been alive anymore, and this land should have been flattened. Hell, he should had been dead himself.

Perhaps he _was_ dead, and everything was just some sort of strange entertainment for the dead to pass the time.

Perhaps he _was_ under a genjutsu, a _very_ good one at that.

His brother awoke few hours later, when they were well away from the cabin and the nightmares in it. He had stopped behind a large boulder just off the road and told his brother that he would take care of him. That they were going to find a friend of his, and then everything would be okay. After his brother had stopped yelling and flailing his–so small, so short– hands, he had gone off to hunt for some rabbits and then they had had a hearty brunch.

They spent the night in a small cave he found at the root of a large, ancient tree, next to a small gurgling brook. He caught some small fish from the stream using a makeshift net made from nin-wire and roasted them for their dinner. After dousing the fire off, he cuddled his brother's small form and they promptly fell asleep. The cave was just large enough for the two of them to huddle together so that they were able to stay warm enough through the night.

Came morning time, he was awaken by the familiar sound of marching troops. Suppressing his chakra tightly, he crawled over behind a shrubbery bush, trying to identify the marching ninja unnoticed. Ninja rarely travelled in large groups, so if the sound of them running through the foliages could be _heard_ that clearly, it could only meant that there a lot of them passing by. He watched with trepidation as dozens of somewhat familiar uniforms trampling through the forest. It was the uniform of his old corps, the ones that he had happily left behind.

They did not talk among themselves, so there had not been any clues as to where they were going and for what purpose. However, judging from the directions they had taken, there were only two possibilities, and both did not bode well.

He went back to his brother as the last of the ninja went by. His brother was already awake, so he told the boy to have a quick breakfast from the leftover fish before packing up and then running after the marching troops. He was mindful to keep a safe distance and to run at the side of the road instead of _on_ the road. Hopping through the trees would raise suspicion and taking the road was just plain foolish.

He sighed in relieved when he finally saw the roof of the small inn at a distance. It looked like the ninja from earlier had taken a loop to avoid passing by the inn and he was grateful for that.

"Come, otouto, we'll get some rest at the inn and see if they can spare me some stationery while you have some nice hot lunch."

His brother nodded at his neck and he quickened his steps.

* * *

Somewhere near the border of Wave Country and the Land of Fire

A tall middle-aged man doused the campfire off with a bit of loose soil. He stretched his joints, grabbed his red haori and wore it above his grey kimono. Heaving his bag-pack upon his back, he then walked over to a tree stump to wait his companion finishing their morning business.

The blonde-haired woman was donning her green haori above her grey kimono when he turned around. Meanwhile, the other woman, the one with black hair had just finished rolling her travelling futon. She sealed the futon and picked her familiar to her chest and straightened her back.

"Are you two ready?"

Both women nodded. Without further ado they started leaping through the trees, applying chakra to their feet in order to reach their destination sooner.

The white-haired man was looking for a place to stop his journey for the night when he sensed two familiar figures nearby. He flared his chakra and then followed the two chakra signatures to find the two women huddling by a camp-fire near a little stream, their futon laid just to the side.

After some customary greetings, they had stroke a conversation only to discover that they were kind of in the middle of a similar predicament.

Their familiars had sensed a disturbance in the flow of nature somewhere near both of their home-town and urged them to go to that direction to investigate. The women -well more like the blonde woman- was reluctant at first, but her familiar had insisted. After an endless of incessant nagging, the blonde finally relented, albeit grudgingly. She had avoided that particular direction for the longest time. To willingly thread the road leading home for her was, precarious.

The man was the same. His familiar, and its entire family too, had been popping every so often to make sure that he had not stopped somewhere along the way unnecessarily. He had no qualms about heading home and was actually curious to check the disturbance out himself, but his familiar's pesky appearances were beginning to get on his nerves.

Furthermore before dawn was even breaking, a messenger bird had landed on his chest and started pecking at his nose. The more he tried to shoo the bird away, the harder the pecks became. It took him a while –and a badly bruised nose– to realize that the bird carried a message for him. After a string of curses and a lot of rubbing on his poorly abused nose, he was able to untie the message from the bird's tiny leg. The cursed bird gave his nose another peck and took off to wherever it came from.

Unfurling the minuscule scroll, he squint his eyes near the dying embers of the camp-fire and read the written message. It was from his gossiping partner-in-crime within the heart of Hi no Kuni. By the time he reached through the end of the scroll, he was fully awoke and immediately tried to rouse his camp mates, from a safe distance of course.

The two women were glaring daggers at him when he finally managed to disturb their slumbers. After some hasty explanations and reading the scroll themselves, the two women had consented that they indeed needed to move as fast and early as they could.

So, there they were. Running at full speed toward the capital of the Fire Country.

They would reach their destination by tea time or after sundown at the latest.

* * *

Madame Shijimi's Private Pavilion

The door to the conference room was promptly opened and a blur of red ran passed Asuma who quickly flattened his back against the wall. He could see the end of an untied obi trailed off behind the descending figure and also heard a string of curses disappeared down the stairs. Straightening up his back, Asuma attempted to resume his report to the Daimyo but he was cut out when Madame Shijimi spoke.

"It's Kazuma, is it not?" The tone was flat and hardly sounded like a question. The Fire Guardian gulped.

"Yes, Ma'am. Chiriku's message said that Kazuma also has some of the Twelve's support. Only Seito, Tou'u, Nauma and Kitane have reported in. The rest…are still unaccountable. There's also about two hundred and fifty unidentified, masked ninjas' roaming in. Chuunin, at the very least."

The Fire Daimyo raised an eyebrow at that.

"We do not expect him to strike this soon; our calculation was that he would strike in a month. We suppose Hiruzen-dono, your presence here might have sped up his plans. What are Chiriku's assessments of the fight, young Sarutobi?"

"Sir. It's fifty-fifty, Sir. We might be able to defeat them, but it'll be rough on both sides. We need to divide the troop to protect and evacuate the civilians. Your orders, Sir?"

There were footsteps down the stairs and Asuma drew his chakra blade out, ready to fight if the incomings were enemies whom somehow managed to slip pass the three assassins guarding the door downstairs. He breathed in relief when a scarlet crown emerged from the stairs.

It turned out to be the red-head he saw earlier that morning. She carried little Naho, the Daimyo's grandniece, at her chest while Naruto was clutching her neck from behind in a piggy-back ride. A flustered middle-aged servant was following right behind her. Asuma stepped aside to let the young woman back into the room but she stopped by the door and put her two charges down then pushed the two little girls inside along with the-now-gasping servant. Crouching down, the red-head put her hands on each of the two girls' heads.

"You two wait here with Obaa-san, 'kay? I have some things to do with this kind Oji-san first, I'll be back soon." Little Naho looked at the red-head in the eyes and bit her lips. Asuma noted then that the red-head was already decked in battle gear.

"Pwomes?" The young woman nodded.

"I promise. Now, go to Obaa-san. Both of you." She turned both girls around and gently pushed them deeper into the room.

She stepped aside to give the space back to Asuma and almost ran into Hatake Kakashi who chose that moment to appear in a shunshin. A pair of arms rose to catch her by the shoulders but she had jumped back and steadied herself before Kakashi could touch her.

"Gomen, Se-Shinobi-san."

Kakashi nodded absently while his single eye roamed the inside of the room. Asuma noted a slight relaxing on the Copy Nin shoulders when said ninja spotted a tuft of blonde hair. He then stepped back to flank Asuma on his right while the red head had taken his left flank. The Fire Guardian turned his attention back to the occupant of the room, waiting for orders.

In the room, Akamichi Chouza had moved to stand before the south window while Inoichi stood by the north window, his sensor ability was clearly running on high. From the west side, Shikaku's distinguished feature leant against the wall between two large windows on either side, arms crossed on his chest. The light from the reddish setting sun behind him gave his figure a strange sense of the surreal world. His calm tone cut through the room, then.

"If I may, Daimyo-sama?"

"Yes, Nara-san?"

"You seem to be aware that this Kazuma, was it? is going to raise arms against you. Any idea of his objective?"

"Ah. He's aiming to replace Us with someone who is more…supportive to his views."

"And his views are?"

"The Daimyo should be the ultimate ruler in the Fire Country, the only 'King'. The Hokage should bow down to the Daimyo, not as an equal. He has had a puppet ready to take Our place, afterwards We suspect that he is going to usurp the Hokage." The Daimyo's eyes slightly flickered toward the Sandaime before continuing, "We believe he has some help from Konoha."

The Sandaime Hokage's eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

The Nara clan's head scratched his chin and sighed. "So, his targets are all here?"

The Daimyo merely nodded diminutively. "We suppose he'd like to throw two birds with one stone. Although those masked ninjas are a surprise. Right, try to capture first, but if the resistant is hard, eliminate them. Since the Twelve could not guard Us like it should, We'll have Nara-san, Yamanaka-san and Akimichi-san here, along with the Hokage, if that's alright with you, Hokage-dono?"

The Hokage nodded. "I agree, Daimyo-dono."

"Oji-san, we need to move and help your troops. Raise the fortress on all sides."

Madame Shijimi shook her head, "You'll be locked out if we do that, Himawari. We'll let the East side down."

The red-head, Himawari, opened her mouth to argue, but the Sandaime stopped her. "Himawari, please don't waste time arguing. These old coots can still whack a head or two, you know. Now if you want to go, just go."

Nodding in agreement, the Daimyo waved his hands off toward the three ninjas standing by the door. "The Sandaime is right, don't worry too much of Us."

Madame Shijimi was already pulling at some hidden panels and the swishing sounds of several large objects sliding against each other were heard in the entire building. There was a gruff voice calling from somewhere to the right of the door, which Asuma found surprising since the person had completely bypassed his senses.

"Remember your chakra, Himawari!"

"I know." The answer was coming out so low that Asuma barely heard them. He gave his father a slight nod and turned around to find that both Kakashi and the red-head, Himawari, had already speeding down the stairs.

Asuma halted his run when he arrived at the second floor to kick the second panel at the right side of the stairs before took off sliding down the now-flat stairways to land at the first floor. He found Kakashi talking quietly with Genma and Raidou by the doorway. He was about to check on the servant's quarter when the red-head emerged down the hall and nodded at him.

"I've secured the servants' quarter, Shinobi-san." The Fire Guardian nodded back at her. The girl reached his side and he took the lead to join the three ninjas in front of them. The sound of clashing metals was getting clearer by the seconds, meaning that the battle was coming nearer the Palace and the pavilion.

"Sarutobi Asuma."

"Aaa…Uzumaki Himawari."

Kakashi's head turned around so fast, Asuma thought that he had heard a snap. He himself was surprised since he had not known that there was an Uzumaki staying at the Daimyo's Palace. However, Madame Shijimi was renowned among the guards to pick up the strangest acquaintances. She had brought back various kinds of guests to her pavilion; ranging from a travelling Miko, a ryoukan's maid, even a crippled beggar once. An Uzumaki in the Madame's private pavilion should not be that big of a revelation.

The single visible eye of his friend widened for the shortest of time and Asuma imagined his surprise was not as much as Kakashi's.

An Uzumaki. Perhaps that was the reason that Naruto and his father had came to the capital on the first place. He tilted his chin toward the masked Jounin.

"Uzumaki, huh? Haven't met one in a long time. Right, the one with the grey hair is Hatake Kakashi, bandanna man is Shiranui Genma and the dude with the sword is Namiashi Raidou." Uzumaki Himawari nodded, smiling slightly to the three of them.

"First I must tell you, I'm currently unable to use any attacking jutsu. There's something disturbing my chakra circulation, so I'm afraid if I used any offensive jutsu, it might've turned against us instead. It'll be Taijutsu and Kenjutsu only for me, or supporting and barrier. Other than that it might become too dangerous." The others nodded their understanding, "So, what's the plan, Sarutobi-san?"

"Just Asuma. I'll try to cut through this racket and join my fellow Guardians. Do you think you guys could hold the fort?"

"We'll run a perimeter up the wall ahead and around. You okay going alone?" It was Kakashi who answered. The ANBU Captain, figured.

"I know some short-cuts. I'll leave the rest here to you guys."

Then Sarutobi Asuma disappeared behind the large evergreen oak tree.

* * *

As the Fire Guardian disappeared down the stairs, Madame Shijimi gave little Naho over to the care of her maid and told the old woman to put Naho to sleep in the corner by the door. Nervously, the maid took the little girl away and the Madame resumed to her seats beside 'little Naruto'.

"What happened to your chakra, Naruto-chan?" The Sandaime Hokage, who had stood up to hear Asuma's reports, turned his attention to the clone henge-d into eight years old Naruto.

It was Kurama who answered the question for her. "She has just gained half of _my_ chakra as an addition to her normal capacity, which is worth _all _of my chakra, when we arrived here. She now has one and a half worth of my chakra_ plus_ her Uzumaki chakra. It's still fluctuating and will take sometimes to adjust it back to any semblance of regularity." _'More like _eight and a half_ bijuu worth of chakra, but you don't need to know that'._ "After filling the second floor with clones earlier today, we agreed that if push comes to shove and she had to fight, it would mean she'd have to do it without jutsu. A simple D-ranks jutsu could be very well ended as S-rank due to chakra overload. Kage level barriers are doable, though."

Every ninja in the room gulped. That was a _massive_ load of chakra, to put it mildly.

"If you don't mind my asking some questions, Madame?" Shikaku drawled from his post by the west windows which had been barricaded with thick metal plates, leaving a horizontal peeping hole as a mean to look outside.

"Yes, Nara-san?"

"You seemed to accept quite readily of Naruto's and Kurama's? explanation of their circumstances when they arrived. How come?" He turned to the fox demon –who had transformed into human when Asuma knocked– for a moment to ask permission to use his name, after he received a nod of affirmation from the fox-man; he returned his questioning glance toward the Madame. There was a glint of amusement in the black-beaded eyes. She patted Tora's head who was laying at her knees absently before answering.

"Aaa….I am an old woman born and living among ninjas, Nara-san. I have heard, read and seen the strangest things in our world. Moreover, if you have met as many people as I have, after a while you tend to learn to tell whether they're honest or not. Many would call it woman's intuition; however I myself call it the fruit of experiences. You ninjas have a better chance in winning a fight with experience on your side, are you not? Allowing you to judge the situation better." The Nara nodded his head.

"Well, when I first saw her, she was still in her eight years old body; I knew who she was and what she contained immediately after I saw her face. Then she _grew_ right under my eyes, literally. Remember that when there's a demon involved, _everything is possible_. I prepared myself to several possibilities as she continued to grow; including the demon had taken over _and_ time-travel. When she opened her eyes and looked at us, well, I just _knew_." She scratched her black Persian cat at the neck and chuckled. "Besides, Tora-chan here has an impeccable instinct, it's hereditary you know, and she picked up no malice or bad intention coming from Naruto-chan."

"I see. You've been fooling around with us all this time, are you not?" The Madame laughed heartily at that.

"Ah, we old women have our own quirks, Nara-san. Don't tell me you'd ruin an old woman's entertainment and spread it around?" _'You'll keep it to yourself'_.

"Of course I won't, Madame. It'll be too troublesome." Shikaku bowed his pony-tailed head slightly. _'You have my word'._

There was a soft snore. The maid had fallen asleep on her seat. Little Naho crawled out of her lap and walked nimbly back to her Obaa-san. She climbed onto the old-lady's lap after trampling on Tora's tail on the way which made the black feline hissed angrily.

"She thought she'd died the first time she awoke, you know." The Madame's voice softened as she rubbed little Naho's back gently. "She babbled a lot of names that she'd thought she was going to meet since she was dead, including mine." The room fell quite after that remarks. Madame Shijimi took a deep breath before continuing.

"But it's like she was _happy_ to be finally died. I had guessed it was bad from whence she came from, but after watching her memories just now…."

It was the Yamanaka clan head who replied.

"She has not shown us half of what she'd been through. She was not exactly _hiding_ some of her memories from me, from us. It was more like she _moved_ some of her memories in fast forward motion to prevent us from seeing them all too clearly, and I've got to see glimpses of them anyway…." The pony-tailed shinobi tried to suppress a shiver but failed. "Konoha has failed both Minato and Kushina, yet their legacy is still loyal to the village down to the last cell of her body."

At that moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt that he had gained another twenty years of age. "What would you have me do, Naruto-chan? Would you like to have your lines announced to the whole village so that they would treat you better?"

"Neh, Jijii….I don't think Boss would want that, dattebayo! The villagers hate her now because of what we, she contains. If you let her parents known, they would love her only because of the Yellow Flash and the Red-Hot Habanero; not because of she herself and what she'd done dattebayo! We've gained their acknowledgement once, we'll gain it again. Don't sweat, Jijii!"

Everyone presented in the room looked at the clone with widened eyes and then unconsciously bowed their heads. Kurama smirked on his seat at the display of respects. That Brat had _earned_ all of the nine bijuu's respects, after all.

"How are you going to do that, Naruto-chan? The original had shown us that she'd only gained the village acknowledgement after Konoha had been left as a mere a crater on the ground. Surely you will not have that kind of calamity yet again?" the Sandaime asked after he managed to hold himself together.

"Nah, she was fully recognized after Pain Invasion, true. But it had actually started getting better after the Boss graduated the Academy and became a genin, dattebayo! I hope the Boss won't get mad at me for telling you this, but Boss thinks that Kakashi-Sensei got the right idea the first time around, D-ranks, dattebayo! Lots and lots of them, too!" Shikaku chuckled at that.

"I see. He _forced_ the villagers to face you, didn't he? He made them _see_ _you_ rather than _see through_ you. He pushed them to see that the child was not the demon?" He was rewarded with a beaming smile for the comment.

"Right you are, Shikaku Oji-san! You're so smart, just like Shikamaru, dattebayo! Although, I don't think the Boss or any of us clones would want to spend four years in the academy once again. It was _sooo_ boring the first time around, doing it again for the second time…." The clone shivered and shook its head violently, "Please don't make us go through _that_ all over again, Jijii!"

A calloused palm found its way atop the clone's head. "We'll think of something, Naruto-chan. We'll think of something."

"Thanks, Jijii! You're the best, dattebayo!" then it launched itself at the Sandaime's waist and gifted both of the wrinkled cheeks with kisses.

Madame Shijimi had finally noticed that the clone's personality was somewhat different from the original Naruto, the cheerfulness was not just an act. This clone was a lot more outspoken and less reserved than the original. Her eyes twinkled for a second before she uttered her question.

"So, Naruto-chan, your old Baa-chan is a bit curious, perhaps you could help me?" The clone climbed down from the Sandaime's lap and homed in on her at once.

"Fire away, Baa-chan."

"Your Boss, it's the original Naruto right?" The clone nodded. "Did she have, you know, someone _special_ back then?" The clone's face scrunched up in concentration before nodding the affirmative.

"Hai. There _wa_s someone, but I don't think Boss realized that she liked him that way, dattebayo! She always pushed that kind of thoughts about him down and away. No." The clone shook her blonde head when she saw Madame Shijimi's eyes lit up in curiosity. "I can't tell you who he was, Baa-chan. It's the Boss's deepest thoughts. Not my secret to tell. Gomen, Baa-chan."

The Madame shoulders sagged as she sighed in disappointment.

"Tell me, what happened to the original's hair, Naruto-chan? How come it's now red? And where are the whiskers? And the face is somewhat different from what I've picture it to be when she grows up." The Sandaime asked the clone Naruto after a while. It was Madame Shijimi who answered.

"I am the one who suggested it, actually. It's hair dye, not a Henge. And her whisker marks are still there, I just gave her some high quality powder to disguise them. A bit plucking of her eyebrows around the edges; drawing a slightly thinner lips, softened the eye shape at the corners, add a splash of high quality scented water, and as the result she looks and smell differently than how she really is. Anyone who knew her parents would recognize who she is otherwise, or suspect a connection." The Yamanaka raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? How come?"

"She's her parents' child, Yamanaka-san. Her Otou-san's daughter, to be exact. A female version of Minato, with Kushina's traits here and there. If she didn't use the make-ups, the Hatake brat would at least become suspicious. And Henge will be noticed by the Sharingan and Byakugan."

"And make-ups won't be noticed?" It was Chouza, who had been listening quietly until that point, who asked. There was another gleam in Madame Shijimi at the question.

"Tell me Akamichi-san, what was your impression when you laid your eyes on your wife for the first time on your wedding day?" The fa-ehm-big-boned man's kind brown eyes glazed over and a moment later the red markings on his cheeks disappeared under a heavy blush that cover the whole face.

"She looked….ah, more beautiful than ever."

"And…?" The Madame prompted gently.

"What….Ah, different! She looked different than she usually does."

"_There_ you have it. It's the wonder of make-ups." Seeing more than one 'lost' expressions written on her guests' faces, the Madame granted them with a gleeful smile, her eyes twinkling in delight." Ah, it looks like you're still confused, Akamichi-san, Yamanaka-san. Shall I give you gentlemen a crash course in make-ups appliances, then?"

The Fire Daimyo let out a small chuckle in seeing his fellow gentlemen blushed and sputtered.

"Ah, please gentlemen. If We could survived the kind Madame's lessons, you can also."

"Come, now. Humour an old woman, why don't you? It's not like we have anything else to do but to wait here."

It was Inoichi who nodded his consent first. His own experiences with his wife and daughter at the very least had taught him that it was no use in arguing with women when they insisted on something. Shikaku followed suit soon after with a suppressed roll of his black eyes, Chouza could have sworn he could hear the word 'troublesome' ringing in his ears. The old Sarutobi pulled out his pipe and beamed at the Madame.

"Please, Madame, indulge us. We're all ears."

"Good." Her tone changed into that of a Sensei delivering a lecture. "Well now gentlemen, make-ups, as you all know, are commonly used by women to enhance their features and to cover any blemish, like pimples, scars or age-lines. However, there was another function of make-ups appliances that often being dismissed and forgotten nowadays. Before ninja have the Henge no Jutsu, infiltration agents, women _and_ men, used high quality make-ups to change their appearances.

A crafty make-ups artist could 'paint', let's say your face Nara-san, and turned it into a completely different face. Shave, pluck, or add the volume of your eyebrows, cover your entire body with body-paint a shade lighter or darker from your original skin colour, put some additional height on your nose, add a couple of padding on your cheeks, splash some high quality scented water, dress yourself in on a different clothes and: Whalla! Not even your best friends would recognize you from appearance alone.

With Naruto-chan however, we're only aiming to slightly alter her looks. Not to completely change it. It's easier and faster to apply. Besides, she's a young woman, it would not be raising any suspicion if anyone noticed that she's wearing some make-ups; it _is_ expected of a young woman to wear some, after all. Yet if she used a Henge, a lot of brows would be drawing. In a ninja village where doujutsu wielders dwell and prosper, I think make-ups are a better option."

"And why had Kakashi-san failed to notice the clone's Henge, then? And I can't either, now that I'm looking at you for a tell-tale of a Henge. There's no shimmering of chakra around you." The Yamanaka asked the clone. It scratched the back of its head before giving him a sheepish grin.

"Well, one: Kakashi-Sensei didn't see me changed, two: he didn't uncover his Sharingan and three: he only spared me a glance when he came here. Also, four: he didn't get close enough to sniff me out; otherwise he'd notice that I don't have the Boss's scent, if he's already familiar with it at this point, that is.

The Boss had always has so much chakra that when she performed the Henge no Jutsu for the first time, she overloaded the amount of chakra used for the jutsu, dattebayo! Nobody noticed about the chakra overload until she tried Oiroke no Jutsu on Kakashi-Sensei. Instead of getting a nosebleed and passed out, he uncovered his Sharingan and told the Boss to do it again. You should see the Boss's face then, dattebayo! Kakashi-Sensei said that as a result of overloading the jutsu, Boss's Henge is actually a solid change and not exactly an illusion as it's supposed to be."

"Somehow I don't want to know how this Oiroke no Jutsu looks like. And Kakashi does have your scent, Naruto-chan. He'd committed your scent to memory since you were only a few days old."

"Mou…you should see it Jijii. I'll tell the boss to show it to you later. You're one of the first who received the full effects of Oiroke no Jutsu, dattebayo! Although, you did tell the Boss never to use it again." It bit its bottom lips. "And why did you bring Kakashi-Sensei along, Jijii? The Boss almost fell over on her butt when she saw him. He's too smart, he notices things, Jijii."

"He knew little Naruto was missing from the village, he'd always checked on you whenever he's in the village, Naruto-chan. I must admit, I'd rather not spend anymore ryo in fixing a training ground if he'd failed to find you. I did not know that this visit was going to become more than a social call to the kind Madame. Let alone finding something of this magnitude. Had I've known it before, I'd give him the story that Genma and Raidou had given me when they delivered the Madame's letter and leave it at that."

"I see."

"And why did you not let Genma and Raidou to tell me the whole story, Naruto-chan?"

The clone tilted its head as it studied the Sandaime Hokage's face, biting its bottom lip in contemplation. Finally it sighed. "Would you believe them if they told you everything without any proof or without seeing the original by yourself, Jijii? Besides, the sure way to leak any secrets out in Konoha is to discuss the secret _in_ the Hokage office, Jijii. The place is littered with bugs of various natures." The Naruto clone's eyes blinked. "Breached. Ten masked ninjas." It raised its palms, "They've been subdued. Ah!"

"What is it, Naruto-san?"

"There were some who wore blank porcelain masks, and…, 'Ne'. I think you're familiar with them, Jijii." The Sandaime's lips were drawn into a tense line then.

"Danzo."

"Boss's going to confront the leaders. They're heading to the Palace's Roof."

There was a deep, inhuman growl and they turned their attention to Kurama.

The fox was sitting in a lotus position, hands clasped in a Ram seal, both of his eyes were closed and he was snarling furiously. Before any of them could react, the fox's body glimmered and disappeared.

The Sandaime Hokage stated the obvious after a moment of silence. "Somehow I don't think that was a good sign."

* * *

"_Shut up, Kurama!" _

The demon fox was rolling over on his back, laughing at her through their mental link.

"_You almost fell all over your own Sensei….You should've seen your face, Brat!"_

"_It's not funny, dattebayo!"_

"_They made you the second-in-command of the ANBU Honshu….What the hell that old hag was thinking, I wonder?"_

The Uzumaki narrowed her eyes, nearly lost her footing and spurred the bijuu's manic laughter further. She shook her head in annoyance.

"_You know you look like a barmy overgrown rabbit right now, right?"_ Kurama snarled but did not cease his laughter. Naruto hissed in annoyance before cutting off their mental links, the insane cackling of the demon still echoing in her head.

She refocused her attention back to the courtyard.

* * *

Hatake Kakashi glanced around at his comrades, Genma, Raidou, and the Uzumaki. The senbon chewing Tokujou was tightening his bandanna, Raidou had already drawn his poisoned-blade katana, the kokutou, out, and the red-head, Uzumaki, was righting her o-wakizashii's(1) position behind her back. He nodded to the three of them and took off running, heading out of the gate. The other three were right behind him, falling into battle formation like a well-oiled machine, the red-head included.

They separated into two groups after passing the gate. Raidou and Genma turned to the left while the Copy Nin and the Uzumaki took the right side. They would turn around after they reach the Palace's inner wall, sweeping any enemy that could break through the outer defences along the way. At that distance, they would still be able to quickly help the other pair when needed.

The former ANBU contemplated his patrol partner out of the corner of his eye. The long, dark-scarlet hair had been re-done. It was now being braided tightly from the top of her head. Tied with a leather band at the end; the whole length was tucked beneath the leather strap at her back as a mean to keep it away from hindering her movements. She wore a set of armour similar to that of ANBU minus the standard elbow-length leather gloves. However, the colour was of a darker shade of grey than that of the ANBU, including the knee-length open-toed boots. Beneath the armour she wore a dark orange short-sleeved shirt and long sleeved mesh shirt.

There were something _fake_ about the Uzumaki. It was like the hair was of the wrong _colour_, yet what was the right spectrum deluded him. Or the eyes, they were of the wrong _shape_, but he failed to picture how the real shape should be. And the eyebrows seemed to bend at the wrong _angles_, although the real arch was unimaginable. He sniffed discretely and frowned. Even her scent was wrong. There were the subtlest hints of jasmine, orange blossom, rose...no, rosemary, freshly showered leaves, musk, sunshine and…apple? The effect was nice without being overwhelming, but they were _wrong_. Some of those scents should not be there, but he just could not discern which.

From the short time that he had seen her interact with other people, he could see that she was an open and honest person. The smile that she had bestowed upon them a moment ago was small, but sincere. _Spontaneous_ that was the best word to describe her personality so far.

'_Just like Kushina-san, guess it's an Uzumaki thing'_. Yet that sense of _fakeness_ just refused to go away. _'However….'_

The Uzumaki had taken to run at his left side and Kakashi could not shake off the feeling that it was _right_. Like she _knew_ when he would turn and adjusted her position at the same time as he moved. Somehow he _knew_ that he could trust her to support him if needed, even though they had only just met. Yet he also in some way _knew_ that the girl would barge into a fight if any was within their range without a second thought. It's like they have been fighting together countless of time before.

'_Fake, but right….This is soo weird'_

They reached the inner wall and turned back. The red-head took point, then.

They were half-way back to the gate when a group of ten masked ninjas jumped over the wall. The Uzumaki made a single hand seal and fifty solid clones came into being. Somehow the silver-haired Jounin found himself _not_ surprised by the choice of jutsu, but amazed at the sheer number of clones that she had created all the same.

The clones looked at each other and then shrugged their shoulders in unison before charging at the incoming enemies. The original red-head did not even spare them a glance and hopped up the wall. However, once she reached the top of the wall Kakashi could hear her cursing softly under her breath, saying something that sounded like 'Damn, still out of whack…'

Kakashi followed her scaled up the wall. He found several large dents on the flat surface of the wall where she had stepped on before. He watched as the long, scarlet, braided hair swung around in its confinement when the owner shook her head in annoyance.

"You take the wall, Hatake-san. I'll take the ground." And she jumped down the outer side of the wall.

"Maa…its Kakashi, Uzumaki-san. Hatake makes me feel old."

There were the clashing sounds of weapons against weapons, screams and a poof coming from behind them, and then it was over.

"Right. It's Himawari, then. Chuunin, all of them." The Uzumaki informed him when they reached the gate and passed the two Tokujou going the opposite direction.

"We've got five of them back there." Genma clued them up before speeding up after Raidou.

They were barely a few steps away from the gate when a loud rumble was heard. The former ANBU turned to his right and saw part of the northern roof of the Palace fell down with a crash. There were seven people fighting there. From where they were standing he could distinguish one of them as Sarutobi Asuma.

Before Kakashi could say anything to his comrades, he heard the tell-tale 'poof' sounds of Kage Bunshin being summoned and the next thing he knew they were surrounded by a sea of scarlet. He could not blame them when he heard both Genma and Raidou gasped in surprise.

"Damn it, still too much. You, dispel yourself. I'm going up there." The Uzumaki pointed her finger to the nearest clone. The clone crossed its hands across its chest and pouted.

"Why me? Dispel her, or her or…" Its whining was cut short when a kunai embedded itself between the clone's eye and it was forcefully dispelled. The clone behind it caught the kunai and threw it back to the original Uzumaki, eyes glaring.

"Oi! Don't go around killing us as you like! We're not your slaves, you know!"

"You're my clones, idiot! You do what I tell you, and now it's not the right time for this. You guys stand your ground here. Got it?"

"Yeah, yeah…" The enraged clone shooed the original away with a wave of its hand, eyes still glaring.

The Uzumaki had already running toward the Palace when the three perplexed ninja heard one of the clones chided them.

"Oi! Are you three going to let the Boss go up there alone?"

The Copy Nin shared a brief look with the two Tokujou before they took off running after the girl. He lifted his hitai-ate as he leapt forward.

"That was….bizarre."

Raidou snorted at his bandanna wearing friend. "You tell me."

They almost reached the Palace's inner gate when a barrage of shuriken came raining down upon them. Genma threw some of his senbon to deflect those coming his way while the scarred-face Tokubetsu Jounin had his kokutou out. The former ANBU had his kunai blocking the shuriken and threw some of his own shuriken toward the Palace wall where the lob had came from. They were in a bad position standing right under the wall as they were.

The Uzumaki repelled the next volley of shuriken and kunai with her sword. After a few steps, she huffed and rolled over toward the Copy nin. Kakashi reacted automatically, grabbing her outstretched left hand, threw her up over the raining missiles and above the wall where she disappeared. The incoming weapons soon stopped and not a minute later the Palace gate was opened.

The three of them ran forward and was greeted by the red head who threw them a grin.

"Nice throw."

Kakashi nodded, both eyes roaming the scene before him. There were five unidentified, fully masked ninjas scattered along the wall, all of them either dead or unconscious. Most likely the later, since there were no scents of blood anywhere near them.

The four of them turned their attention to assess the situation at the Palace's inner courtyard, then. The fighting on the roof was still commencing in high speed.

The Palace was surrounded by roughly two hundred masked ninja. The Daimyo's troops were trying to thwart them off from entering the Palace; they were engaged in a heated mêlée at every corner. It was safe to assume that the attackers had yet to realize that the Daimyo was not in the Palace at the moment. Otherwise, they most definitely had already abandoned the attempt to siege the Palace and move toward Madame Shijimi's private pavilion instead. So far, they were stuck in a headlock, unable to push the other side back. None of the fighting party had registered their entrance, yet.

The goddess Tsukoyomi had risen from her slumber, taking her sister's place on the heavenly throne. Her ethereal robe glowed majestically throughout the endless darkness. The celestial face smiled serenely downward, showering the Earth in rich, gentle luminosity.

All four of them leapt forward to join the battle, knowing that they needed to find a way to reach the roof of the Palace to help Asuma. The sooner they could take the leaders of this madness out of the equation, the sooner the fight could be ended. The use of missiles and jutsu were abandoned seeing as everyone was moving too fast, they might hit the Daimyo's troop instead of the enemies.

A poof. Another scarlet sea.

As the clones spread themselves around the Palace, the original Uzumaki joined the fray with the three Konoha shinobi. The Hatake, kunai crackling with lightning chakra in both hands, took point. The Uzumaki once again took his left flank, while the Namiashi took his right; both had their swords drawn. The Shiranui, senbon in between each knuckles of his hands, closed their formation from behind thus forming the perfect diamond.

And they danced.

Kakashi slashed through the enemies in front of them, lightning-infused kunai slicing left and right with deadly precision. Raidou to his left stabbed and thrust any hostility closing in from his side. The red-head hacked and plunged her blade at any masked ninja getting too close for comfort. Genma kept the enemy counts higher, throwing and piercing his senbon through the enemy ranks. Never once concerned about guarding their backs, knowing, _believing_ their comrades were there to keep them safe.

The Daimyo's troop, relieved to receive a breath of much needed air from the Konoha ninja, tightened their grips on their weapons and then charged with renewed vigour.

They were tipping the balance off.

Engraving their way toward the Palace wall, they moved, turned and shifted in sync. When the Copy nin had to leave his corner to chase away some persistent black-clad ninja, the other three immediately followed suit. Flanking his blind spots at all corner. Once Raidou was tightly stuck between five enemies and the three of them were there in a second.

Then it was Genma, spotting some hidden enemy ready to ambush their quartet from around the corner, he wove his way through with the targets locked in his vision. Any blockage from other enemies fell over at his feet as his comrades decimated them.

An enemy hoisting some strange contraption was closing in behind them while the other masked ninja turned around and gave the guy a wide breath, circling around from a distance. The Uzumaki, having no intention to find out what the contraption was for leapt, sword already lunging forward. Her o-wakizashii was homing in below his ribcage.

Genma grinned; the other enemies had given them what he preferred in fighting, space. Soon enough, there was a nice little arc of fallen enemies in front of him, all bearing a senbon on various points of their bodies.

The scarred-face Tokujou twirled his kokutou, enemy's shuriken, kunai and senbon bounced back at their senders in a blink of an eye, finding their lodging deep in human flesh and stayed there. At the same time, the Copy Nin had jumped over the enemy's rank, kunai flashing too fast to counter. Within the next breath, he was back in his former position while his quarries dropped their weapons, blood gushing out from their veins.

The four of them reached their starting points at the same time. They had their shoulders and backs brushing against each other. A collective sigh later, and they all grinned.

Another wave of masked enemy charge at them, and once again the four of them moved as one.

Hatake Kakashi was never one to enjoy killing.

He was a ninja, and a good one at that. Killing was his trade. He got the job done fast and clean but he never relished in the act of killing itself.

There was an intense exhilarated feeling running through his body as he and his comrades wove through the enemy's ranks. He was used to the taste of adrenaline in his vein at the height of battle; however what he felt just then was something entirely different. It was something new, yet at the same time it was like an old forgotten sensation resurfacing to the forefront of his being. It was like they were inhaling and exhaling at the same moment, moving and adjusting at the right time, attacking and parrying in a well rehearsed choreography.

He could understand if the feeling was triggered by fighting alongside Raidou and Genma after so long, however the red-head Uzumaki should had not been included in the haze. They had never fought together before; hell they had only just met, exchanging no more than five sentences to each other. Their ranks should have been odd, at the very best.

She was definitely _part_ of their team nonetheless.

He could tell from the dancing aura of his comrades that they too, felt the same, all three of them. Further analysing the sensation, he came to the conclusion that whatever it was, it was not directly related to the carnage. More like the feeling of fighting together, all the four of them side by side that triggered the impression.

_Déjà vu_ that was what he was feeling.

Pushing the strange feelings aside, the Copy Nin swept his gaze around the courtyard. The fighting was still commencing, but they were clearly had managed to push the enemy. The Daimyo's troop was finishing the last of the scattered enemy. The dozens Kage Bunshin did make a lot of difference.

The former ANBU was just about to turn to face his still grinning comrades when a loud bellow was heard from above.

"Kitane!" Asuma's voice cut through the clamour of fighting around them.

The Sharingan saw what happened first.

A body was falling downward head first in high speed, and Kakashi moved to intercept the fall. A burst of chakra to his feet and he was rushing through the air to catch the falling Fire Guard. Just as he managed to grab the man, a kunai zinged below his sandals and embedded itself to the Palace wall. He saw that there was a nin-wire attached to the loop of the kunai. He grabbed the wire and realized that they were five storey high above the ground. Not too high a fall if he were alone. However he had a semi-conscious man on his hand, jostling the heavily wounded man around too much would not be wise.

There were several glints of nin-wire in different heights zigzagging between the Palace wall and the rows of ancient Sugi(2) trees at the other end of the courtyard below. The former ANBU realized that someone -most likely his comrades– had provided him with a way down. Sighing in relief, he moved the Fire Guardian onto his back so that the man's body was slung over his left shoulder in a fireman's hold. Once the man was secured, he picked his way down amidst the wayward kunai and shuriken from the enemies. They had not yet noticed his predicament, but it looked like they had no care whether the missiles hit the enemies or their own comrades.

The Copy Nin put the Fire Guardian down carefully under the furthest Sugi tree at the back of the Palace, away from the hubbub of battle. He checked on the many wounds on the man's; Kitane, if he heard it right, chest and the sighed in relieved when he found that none of the man's wounds were fatal. Most likely the worst of his wound was a head trauma, a concussion. He took out several rolls of bandage from one of his jounin vest's pockets and then started to work.

The clamour from the front of the Palace had already ceased, there was a high probability that the fights were over and the Daimyo's troop had managed to take control of the situation. Now that he had the Fire Guardian's most dire injuries bandaged, he could try to move him without worrying too much.

As he tied the last bandages, the silver-haired nin looked around to see whether there was anyone who could help to carry the wounded man to a better location, when a _cold, terrifying, familiar aura of doom_ blanketed the Palace.

"Naruto!"

* * *

As the last of the kunai find their lodging deep on the wall of the Palace, Naruto muttered under her breath, "Stupid Sensei. Always so reckless."

The scarred-face Tokujou standing behind her was chuckling lightly. "He's always like that huh, Naruto-chan?"

The blue eyes widened in surprised. Before she had the chance to retort, Genma closing in on them and greeted her by her real name. She turned her head toward the bandanna wearing nin and narrowed her eyes. Instead of looking at the kind brown eyes, the sight of the aftermath assaulted her vision.

The rest of the conversation drifted through her mind. Flashes of memories from her future flitted before her eyes and she felt her heart clenched in remembrances.

_The Red Monument was slowly being covered in white. Every single person in the large village had come to pay their homage to the fallen, each bearing the royal bloom. Those who had fought and lost their life defending their being as free souls that they were deserved all the respect and more. Bearing the heavy rain was a small price to pay._

Genma nudged her elbow and prompted her toward the Palace.

_The sky had finally stopped weeping. _

_Claw-like nails elongated and she began carving the names with her pointy finger on the ebony stone's surface. _

_The price of peace was heavy indeed._

_19.436 remembered names._

_19.436 ended lives._

_19.436 cut out stories._

_Those were only the names of the fallen Konoha shinobi. The war casualties were spread throughout the Elemental Countries and the damage was severe. Out of 80.000 shinobi that marched to war against the Akatsuki, less than half made it back alive. _

_Such was the cruelty of a war. _

_All for one man's hunger for power._

Medic nin were busy collecting and moving the dead.

_She had sent her Kage Bunshins to retrieve the bodies of fallen Konoha shinobi spread across the battlefield, collecting their dog-tags and laid their bodies side by side at the funeral pyre. She remembered each face, identifiable or not, and just like Neji, they were all smiling in death. It's like they approved of their own death. _

_Maybe they were._

_Sakura and some of her friends had told her not to look, to let other people retrieve and care for the fallen, but she had adamantly refused. Those fallen shinobi initially went to war to protect her and Killer Bee, she had argued. How could she not taken their death personally? _

_How could she dishonour them by not looking? _

_How would she found them in the afterlife if she did not remember their faces, did not even know their names?_

A couple of the Daimyo's guards were collecting their deceased comrades' dog-tags. The Uzumaki blinked.

_The chakra cloak dissipated after the last name was etched, and Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto fell down to her knees. She finally let her tears ran free and her body shook with broken sobs. Thousands of lifeless faces pushed themselves forward to the forefront of her memories and flitted just behind her eyelids. Empty eyes, broken and mangled bodies, burnt faces, and dog-tags. _

_Thousands of dog-tags. _

There was someone who was covering the dead bodies, comrades and enemies alike.

"_Don't look away. The end of a man who lived a difficult life." _

_The soft-relaxed tone of one Hatake Kakashi from so long ago after their battle with Zabuza echoed in her ears. _

_So she did not look away as the funeral pyre lit up the night sky, and strangely, the scent emitted from the big bonfire was that of sweet incenses. _

_The older blonde gave a slight nod and her guards moved away to a more respectable distance. She took a step forward and placed a hand on the shoulder of the younger blonde. Two pairs of eyes were memorizing the etched list to heart. Each and every name on the stone's surface had also had been carved to the very fabric of their souls._

_ Tsunade offered no words of comfort, no other gesture of solace. At that moment, they were both equals; friends, comrades, leaders. More importantly, they were both grieving; both of their hearts were bleeding and broken. The best that they could offer to one another was each other's present. _

_They stayed there together until the sun began to slide down in western sky, crying their hearts out in silent sobs._

The three of them had reached the Palace's door. Genma asked something and her gaze turned upward.

_As the last villager paid their respects, the wind began to pick up its pace once again, and most mourners left the cemetery toward their homes. Only a handful of people were still standing there, all of them were shinobi. They stood in silent, each present was a solace to another, watching the snow white petals of the mourning flowers fluttered in the air and blown away with the wind, lifting them toward heaven. _

_The rain was ceasing._

A malice presence tickled at the edge of her senses. Naruto shook her memories off, trying to refocus her attention back to where she was. As soon as she was able to push the images away, she registered what the feeling was and took off back toward the pavilion.

* * *

Genma dropped his body into a crouch to avoid the incoming kunai marked in the direction of his head. Flicking his wrist, he hurled another volley of senbon, deflecting the flying missiles as well as aiming to incapacitate instead of killing. They needed some prisoners for interrogation.

Those masked ninja were clearly not integrated with the traitorous Fire Guardian. They were supporting the traitors, that point was certain; however they were more like mercenaries. There were no coordination between the traitors and the masked ninja. Moving and attacking on their own to create disorder and chaos. As he rolled to the right to let the red-head sprung toward the remaining enemies, he wondered briefly where a mercenary organization that big could have hidden themselves.

The bandanna wearing Tokujou sensed, rather than saw Kakashi jumped upward after the familiar chakra burst on the Copy Nin's feet. He risked a glance and cursed when he realized what his comrade was doing. The former ANBU was six storeys high up in the air, catching an unconscious man on one shoulder with nothing to break his fall.

Just then a sharp zinged sound cut through his ears and he caught a glimpse of silver soaring by. There was a kunai embedded into the fifth floor's wall with nin-wire attached to it. He watched as the Copy Nin grabbed hold of the wire just in time.

"Genma-san! Here, help me with these!"

A bunch of kunai was tossed onto his palm, each with nin-wire tied to their loops. The other ends of the wire were attached to another set of kunai in the Uzumaki's hand. Raidou was standing on guard at her back, keeping the remaining enemies at bay.

"You do the trees, I'll take the wall."

Understanding clicked in his mind, Genma began throwing the kunai in sequence toward the Sugi trees bordering the Palace's courtyard. At the same time, the red-head threw hers toward the Palace's wall, creating a descending web of nin-wire between them.

As the last of the kunai previously in his hand found its mark on the furthest tree, the senbon chewing shinobi heard the red-head muttering something under her breath and Raidou, who was sheathing his sword behind her chuckled softly.

The battle was over. The Daimyo's troop were rounding up prisoners and moving the dead into a corner outside the gate while the wounded were gathered near the gate post.

He closed the distances between them and raised an eyebrow.

"Care to share the joke, Naruto-chan?"

The red-head sputtered and narrowed her eyes at him.

"Not you, too. How did you two know it's me, dattebayo?"

"Well," It was Raidou who answered her question, "You didn't change your figure, Naruto-chan. We saw you before…all this changes you'd done. You have this spring in your steps, and your eyes are unique, too."

Naruto turned her gaze toward Raidou and pouted. "Mou, you wouldn't tell anyone else, right?"

Genma nudged the two on their elbows and lead them to walk toward the Palace. They still need to find a way to help Asuma, anyway.

"We haven't broken our promises, yet, Naruto-chan. Not that we'd planned to, it's your secret to tell. But how about Kakashi, though? You said we've told you in the future about how we used to shadow you when you were little. Kakashi's been doing that much longer and more often than the two of us, you know."

"He did? You've never told me that before, dattebayo!"

Both Tokujou raised their eyebrows. "Never?"

"Nope. Anyway, to answer your question, maybe I'll tell him later, after I….take care a few things first."

"Suit yourself. I wanna see his face when you do come around and tell him, though."

"We'll see, Genma-san, we'll see."

They had reached the Palace's door; the Daimyo's guard had managed to clear most of the barricade in front of it so they were free to climb over the Palace. Simultaneously, they looked up. Genma moved his senbon to one corner of his lips and sighed.

"Stairs or roof-hopping?"

Before any of his comrades could provide an answer, three figures landed several steps to their left and their fell into stance at once. One of them stepped forward and spoke, "It's me, Asuma."

The three of them relaxed at once. Upon closer inspection, Genma noticed that there was a fourth figure hoisted between the other two behind the burly Sarutobi.

The scarred-face Tokujou tilted his head to the side and whispered softly, "Is he…?"

The Fire Guardian shook his head.

Several medics rushed over to their place and took the body. One of them tried to usher the rest of the Fire Guardian toward the gate post that had been turned into a makeshift hospital. They merely shook their heads.

"We'll manage. Three of the traitors had escaped. How about Kitane?" The monk, Chiriku, asked.

"Kakashi got him. He landed a bit to the back. He hasn't come back yet, perhaps your friend's wounds were pretty bad." The bandanna wearing Tokujou answered the monk. "We should go and check on them." He added.

They were only beginning to turn toward the back of the Palace when a sense of cold dread trickled down their spines from the direction of Madame Shijimi's pavilion. Belatedly, Genma realized that the blonde-now-red-head, Naruto, had disappeared without their knowing it.

* * *

"_Kurama, what the hell?"_ Naruto was practically screaming through their mental links. _"What the heck are you thinking of?"_

"_Don't scream at me, Brat. This isn't me. This chakra is unrefined, it's like my chakra before you unlocked the seal."_ The demon fox's grumbled in her mind-scape. Her steps faltered for a moment as she took the information in.

"_You're right, dattebayo! Gomen, gomen. But what…" _Her mind played a picture of a long lost friend's face. A boy of sixteen with bluish grey hair, cut just below his chin. Brown, bitter eyes. Blowing wind….

"_Sora!"_

"_That's right, Brat! He's getting closer to the pavilion!"_

"_I'm coming!"_

* * *

The pale-faced shinobi dispelled his summon after they landed inside the Daimyo's Palace's wall. He helped his brother standing up onto his feet and threw his gaze around.

There had been a battle occurred in the courtyard. It looked like he had arrived at the end of a skirmish. He could discern people moving around carrying dead bodies and tending to the injured. The smell of blood was thick in the air.

Amidst the chaos, there was a strong presence here that made him breathe out in relieved. The warm chakra was covering the entire place. His friend, the one he thought had died was in this very place. Of course, if anyone could defy any odds stacked against them, this particular friend definitely claimed the top spot.

"Looks like I found my friend, otouto. Let's go."

Just as he finished speaking to his brother, another strong presence bulldozed its way through and the black-haired nin froze. He could see several figures leaping toward the source of the malice in a rush. He hoisted his brother onto his back and started running, too.

* * *

The Sandaime Hokage jumped from his seat just a second after Kurama disappeared. The Ino-Shika-Cho trio was not far behind him. They sped through the door, leaving the Daimyo and his family alone in the room. Hiruzen turned around beyond the door and barked.

"Daimyo-dono, secure the room. We'll get back to you as soon as we can!"

The Fire Daimyo nodded quickly before closing the door while Madame Shijimi stood stunned in front of the secret panels to raise the pavilion's defences.

"Raise the fortress, dear. You have to trust your god-daughter. She will be able to handle whatever it is that is coming."

The Madame tried to answer her spouse, yet her voice died in her throat so she settled with a nod. This presence was different than that of her god-daughter's yesterday. This being was emitting so much malice she could taste it in the air.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed the last panel to close off the east side of her pavilion. She was barricading her newly-found god-daughter outside the safety of her fortress.

Fumbling desperately, she searched for her husband's hand in the dim light of the room. He caught her hand mid-air and gripped her trembling hand in his, trying to offer some comfort.

* * *

Three figures stopped just outside the Palace's outer wall.

They could see the thick smoke mounting from one corner of the Palace's roof. The coppery scent of blood assaulted their heightened sense of smell as a particularly strong wind blew past them. The blonde woman blanched before she took a step backward, head shaking violently. The black-haired woman was on her side in an instance.

"Tsunade-sama?"

"I….I'll just wait here, Jiraiya. You go in and see what happened."

The man, Jiraiya the Gama Sannin, eyed his team-mate with concern mixed with impatience. His usual goofy grin was notably absent from his face.

"Will you be aright, Hime?"

"I….I just need to sit down. I'll be fine. Take Shizune with you, there likely a lot of injured soldiers in there."

"Are you sure it will be aright for me to leave, Tsunade-sama?" The black-haired woman, Shizune gripped her familiar tighter than she usually was and a loud, angry oink was heard. "Wha…Oh, I'm so sorry Ton-Ton!"

"Leave Ton-Ton with me, Shizune. Those people need help. I'll just take a loop and find the closest spot that's free from this scent. You could always find me afterwards."

Jiraiya took the matter out of Shizune's hands.

"Right. We'll all take a loop and find a safe place for you to stay, Hime. I'll feel better if I knew where I'm going to leave you. Let's go!"

Senju Tsunade opened her mouth to argue; however, in seeing her team-mate's unusually stern gaze she dropped it immediately. She shakily stood up, and Shizune's shoulder was immediately there for her to lean on.

She inhaled deeply. Now that the wind had ceased blowing, she could breathe freely without the sickening taste of copper invading her senses. She nodded toward her companions.

Without another words, the three of them moved away from the spot in a much slower pace than before.

* * *

Hatake Kakashi dropped the still-unconscious Fire Guardian at the makeshift hospital near the gate door. He informed the medic he found there about the man's condition before taking off toward the pavilion.

He had thought it was safe to leave Sensei's daughter there along with the Daimyo and the Sandaime. If something were to happen to the little ball of sunshine, he did not know what to do anymore.

'_I'll ask the Hokage to rejoin the ANBU.'_

His musings were cut off by the sounds of several running steps. Without pausing, he immediately recognized the familiar presences of his comrades and let out a relief sigh.

There was someone missing though….the red-head. '_Was she injured? Should I check back to the Palace gate?'_

The large evergreen oak tree loomed in front of him and he mentally shook the images of the ambiguous red-head away from his mind._ 'Focus, Kakashi!'_

The sight that welcomed him and his comrades at Madame Shijimi's courtyard stopped him in his tracks. Not a second later, the rest of the people running behind him also stopped.

The red-head and a nin that he had never seen before was fighting against two of the treacherous Fire Guardian. The Copy Nin was able to discern their white sashes with the kanji for 'fire' tied around their waists. Meanwhile, the Uzumaki's partner was thirty-something male with long spiky hair. The colour of his hair was somewhere between white, red and gold, something the former ANBU had never seen before. His dark hakama was blowing as he moved in tune with the Uzumaki.

While the previous collaboration between the red-head, Genma, Raidou and himself felt like a long forgotten choreography, the Uzumaki and his partner danced like they were moving in a lifetime of rehearsed steps. They moved in perfect harmony, always shifting in tune, always drifting in one smooth synchronization.

Both of them were able to hold their ground, and from some of their moves, Kakashi could have sworn that they actually had the upper hand. However, they both seemed to be distracted, like they were trying to chase after something else. He analysed everything that the Sharingan had memorized around the place.

The red-head's Kage Bunshins that she had left earlier were separated into two groups. The first, the smaller group was guarding the entrance to the pavilion. The silver crown turned slightly to the left where the larger group was fighting against dozens of masked ninja which seemed to be preventing the Bunshins to reach the other side. _'So, some of them were headed here after all.'_

He had seen enough.

Drawing his kunai out and charging his chakra to the kunai, the Copy Nin jumped in to assist the red-head and her strange-haired partner. He was aware of Genma and Raidou following closely at his heel. Asuma and one of his fellows Fire Guardian were half a heartbeat behind them.

The two traitorous Fire Guardian were taken aback for a moment, but they regained their resolves soon enough and welcomed the newcomers with renewed vigour.

They were good, Kakashi could give them that. Unlike the band of masked ninja earlier, those two were comrades just as much as he and the other Konoha ninja. Both of them fought together and covered each other's weaknesses. However, with the five of them joined the fray, they began to push the traitors down.

Naruto sighed in relieved when her former…future? Sensei and the other Konoha nin invited themselves to join the fight. She needed to breach the barricade of the masked ninja to reach Sora and his father Kazuma. Kazuma was opening Sora's seal in an ancient ritual as they fought and he had to be stopped, soon. Sora's body was still that of a eight years old. She had no desire to find out what the effects of Kurama's raw, unrefined chakra might be on his small body.

The now-red-head remembered how they both were burnt and bruised from the contact with the Kyuubi's chakra after Kazuma's attack on Konoha in the future. Moreover, Sora was not an Uzumaki. He did not have the luxury of advance self-healing of the Uzumaki's blood or her concentrated chakra to withstand the damage.

"_Let's go, partner."_ She called to Kurama as she jumped out of the arena.

"_Right beside you, Brat."_

They charged through the lines of the masked ninja –Ne– who were still fighting against dozens of Naruto's clones. The number of clones was steadily decreasing. These ninja were better fighters than their counterparts that went to besiege the Palace earlier. Her estimation was that this lot was more than likely to be Jounin or high Jounin level. Had her chakra had been stabilized; she would had been firing jutsu left and right. Yet, in her current condition, firing jutsu would probably harm her comrades and their surroundings along with the enemy. She could not even channel her chakra to her sword, and it irked her to no ends.

Jutsu restricted or not, she was glad that she still had Kurama by her side.

After the nightmare that was the Fourth Shinobi War, she had started training and sparring with the nine bijuu; either in their demon forms or their human forms. She had taken the rule to 'always be prepared' to heart and the demons were all in agreement. They needed an edge on every field; training and sparring would only sharpen the edges that they already had.

There was no such thing as overkill.

But only when there were no comrades or the innocence around.

Creating another batch of Kage Bunshin, she realized that Kakashi, Genma and Raidou had come to her aid in breaching the rows of Ne ninja.

"That's Kurama." She pointed toward her partner, and the three ninja nodded slightly before they began charging at the enemies.

They were fighting at the bottle-neck section of the courtyard. On one side there was the three storey high of the pavilion wall and on the other side there were rows and rows of ancient Sugi trees bordering the inner part of the pavilion's enclosure. In a fight it was a perfect place to hold your ground, a nightmare to try to pass through.

She could see glimpses of Kyuubi's chakra sparked as Kazuma continued to perform his ritual. She could also feel her own and Kurama's chakra resonated with the outburst, so she pressed harder. The need for secrecy was fighting against the need to end the battle quicker. She huffed in frustration.

"_You got that right, Brat. If I could just devour these two-legged monkeys, you wouldn't need to break a sweat."_

"_We've talked about this hundreds of time already, Kurama. No eating while fighting."_ The demon fox snorted and crushed another masked ninja's arm before tossing him aside. The Ne's body slumped against a tree bark and then slide down to end up in a heap under the tree.

"_Hmmm, a fitting position for a member of Ne, don't you think?"_

Hatake Kakashi had reached her left side, while Kurama was still fighting on her other side. Somewhere close behind she could feel Raidou's sword cutting through the air. Some of the masked ninja had fallen where they stood, courtesy of Genma's senbon.

Only two more ninja stood between them and Kazuma at the back, the rest were rounding in from behind, trying to close the gap. A moment later the two of them simultaneously dropped to the ground, one had a deep gash on his neck while the other one still had a sword sticking through his abdomen. Raidou grinned at her while withdrawing his kokutou.

"So, where are you going?" It was the bandanna wearing nin who asked, before he leapt back to hold off the rest of the masked ninja from gaining their current place. The ever-present senbon between his lips was twinkling under the moonlight as he turned.

Naruto blinked and look up to the sky. Tsukoyomi was beaming benignly back at her.

It was the night of the full moon.

The one time when the nine bijuu felt the pull of the Shinjuu at full force.

"Kuso!"

"_Brat, hold the man. I'll be able to absorb the chakra residue from your friend's body."_

"_Without harming him? He's so small, Kurama. The chakra might boil his body, dattebayo!"_

"_Don't you trust me? He's about to finish the ritual, barrier, now!"_

"_Too many people around, dattebayo! They'll be under the barrier."_

"_Would you rather that Plant-man to sense my chakra and comes here to investigate? Now!"_

Quickly, she dispelled the rest of surviving Kage Bunshin and summoned another twenty Kage level clones. Four of the clones jumped out to four separate directions while the rest went back to the entrance of the pavilion, they had a door to guard.

Genma, along with Raidou and Kakashi, had just finishing the rest of the masked nin with the aid of about sixty Kage Bunshins when the clones abruptly disappeared. They all turned to look for the red-head, just in time to see her creating another twenty clones and they all let out a relieved sigh. Unknowingly to them, they each had the same concern about the original Uzumaki being heavily wounded when the clones were dispelled.

Nonetheless, they had no chance to voice their concern as they saw the strange symbol on the ground and the man who was performing some sort of ritual before them. He wore a simple dark suit, with the Fire Guardian sash tied around his waist. In the middle of the symbol on the ground laid a small boy –no older than eight years old– with short, bluish grey hair garbed in a monk attire. The boy was thrashing and writhing in pain as the Fire Guardian ran through a series of hand seals. Red, malicious chakra started to ooze from various points on his body.

"Kazuma!"

Asuma and his monk comrades had joined them.

Four of the clones were flashing toward four different directions; east, south, west and north. Just when they reached their position, a black-clad nin appeared behind the treacherous Kazuma, hand forming the seal of confrontation. At the exact same time, the four clones raised their hands to form the Ram seal.

"Shisekiyoujin!"(3)

They all felt the powerful burst of chakra as the barrier took shape around them. The wall of chakra forming between the four clones were humming with energy that flowing through space.

"Sumi Nagashi!"(4)

The new comer was steadily pouring ink directly from its bottle to the ground. The ink then turned into dozens of black snake-like creatures as it touched the ground, slithering their way toward Kazuma, who looked like about to conclude his ritual. The ink-snakes wrapped themselves around the man's ankle, steadily gaining heights up his body. Before he knew it, the snakes were already constricting his movements and Kazuma was forced to abandon the seal sequences that he had been performing.

Kurama leapt toward the little boy in the monk's clothes. Hair colour strangely shifting, he picked the little monk up to his chest and embraced the boy. He was emitting his own chakra and they all could _taste_ pure power exuding from him.

"No! You can't stop him. My son is a jinchuuriki! He'll destroy you all! The Land of Fire will have one King at last!"

Kazuma was now the one thrashing, struggling to free himself from his captor. Some of the ink-snakes broke from his movement, but the snakes merely reformed themselves as the ink touched the ground and slithered back up.

Sarutobi Asuma and his Guardian friend, Chiriku the monk, rushed forward to comprehend the now-tied up man.

The Uzumaki had stopped mid-step and staring at the newcomer, eyes wide and body trembling.

The black-clad nin had long black hair that reached his mid-back, pale skin glowed eerily under the light from the barrier around them. A pair of small hands wrapped around his neck, a little boy's face peeked out from behind one of his shoulders.

Kurama had left his field of vision, still cradling the little monk that the traitor had claimed to be his son in his embrace.

Genma was unsure of what to do. The stranger wore the same outfit as the rest of the masked enemy, but he did not wear any mask and he had helped them in capturing the traitorous Fire Guardian. The Uzumaki clearly knew the man, yet her reaction was confusing. He felt chakra flared at his side as Hatake lifted his kunai while Raidou was drawing his sword back out, ready to strike at any given notice. His own hand hovered above his weapon's pouch, body tensed in anticipation.

As soon as Asuma and the monk Fire Guardian managed to tie up the traitor tightly the man released his strange jutsu and tilted his head toward the red-head. A strange, fake smile broke upon the pale face.

"Yo, Dickless. Fancy meeting you here."

And the Uzumaki flew to hug him.

Faintly, almost escaping his hearing, Genma thought he heard a low growl.

* * *

Footnote:

(1) _Cryptomeria japonica_, or Sugi tree. Often called Japanese Cedar in English. Often planted along walls of temples, shrine or castle. Endemic to Japan. (Courtesy of Auntie Wiki)

_(2) _O-wakizashii_: _a normal wakizashii blade's length is between 30-60 cm. A wakizashii close to length of a katana is called o-wakizashii, the one close to length of a tantou is called ko-wakizashii (Courtesy of Auntie Wiki)

(3) Shisekiyoujin: lit. Four Red Yang Formation, Ninpo: Four Crimson Ray Formation.(Manga, Naruto Shippuuden Chap. 631)

(4) Sumi Nagashi: lit. Ink Flush, Ninja Art: Ink Flush (Anime, Naruto Shippuuden Ep. 104)


	5. Chapter 4: Where to Go When You Hit Rock

**Disclaimer: **Not the cranes! NOOOoooo….My paper cranes…. When I said water, I meant a glass of water, not the entire barrels, idiots! Now I'll have to wait longer until Naruto and Kakashi and everyone in it could be mine….

* * *

**AN:**

Thank you for following, favouring and reviewing! You're the best!

Also thank you for enlisting R:TtRnT in your communities!

I still need a beta, anyone?

070214: fixed typos, hopefully I've got it all

* * *

**Chapter 4: Where to Go When You Hit Rock Bottom**

* * *

"_Kuso…."_

_Sai had never been so relieved to hear Naruto's cussing than that moment. His blonde team-mate might had the uncanny ability to jump back up no matter how hard, how far, she fell, that true; however, after watching her slipped into four-months of comatose state he could not help but worry. On top of that, they still had not met with any success in formulating a complete antidote for the poison that she received, yet; much to Tsunade's frustration. He crouched at his friend's side and helped her to a sitting position._

"_Can you stand, Dickless?"_

_Naruto cringed. The enemy was quite good with his sword. He managed to wound her vertically from her left shoulder down to just above her right hip. Luckily, she was able to draw her torso back even a little; otherwise the cold air would be greeting her ribcage by then. She ran an internal check and a grim smile rose on her face. Sitting was manageable, but standing was beyond her at that moment._

"_Give me some time, Sai."_

_Her friend nodded. He then joined her to sit on the ground back to back. It was the best position that they could take considering their location. The seating arrangement provided them with the widest visual range possible. They sat there leaning to each other, trying to catch their breath and to calm their frantic heartbeats. _

_Ideally, they should have moved to some more secure location, however they were both too tired to move. Naruto had not yet fully recovered, and her wound only worsened her condition. Sai himself had nearly depleted his chakra after flying Naruto's unconscious body out of Konoha for five hours straight; and that including making a detour every now and then to let loose any pursuers. _

_After several minutes of silence, Naruto could barely contain her curiosity._

"_Hey, Sai? What happened, really? Is it that bad that you guys had to smuggle me out of Konoha?"_

_Sai was rummaging in his equipment pouch when his comrade fired out the questions. He contemplated of what to say for a minute all the while getting a roll of bandage out. He sighed._

"_Words spread quickly that you were poisoned and fell into coma. The Kages tried to keep it quite while investigating the culprit, to no avail. There were leaks and agitators, people freaked out. Suspicion was all around high, and you were getting worse. It's all lead to chaos." Sai finished bandaging his calf at the same time with his explanation._

"_What, the Kages could not keep order?" Naruto was still trying to wrap her mind around the news. She might not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but she was smart enough to understand the report—for that what it was—that Sai was giving her. _

_Distrust and suspicion were certain to bring restlessness that would eventually lead to a civil breakout. In a way, a civil breakout was much more damaging than shinobi war, because shinobi would have tried the hardest to spare the civilian from harm, whilst a civil breakout would lead to everyone's attacking everyone. Ninjas would find it hard to tackle civilian mobs for their trainings, their instincts had been honed to protect the civilian first and foremost, not casting jutsu against them. And if the distrusts were also being spread among shinobi…._

"_No, they could not; add hundreds of Orochimaru's human experiments on the loose, hundreds of rouge ex-Ne going underground and some power hungry people with capitals on their hands into the mix, you got total chaos. Shikamaru-san also said that it was likely that we had missed some White Zetsu. The other Kages were also enraged that Konoha has failed to keep their hero safe within her own village._

_It would not be so bad had we managed to find and capture the ones responsibility for poisoning you, or at the very least to cure you immediately, yet the poison was very advanced. Shizune-san, Genma-san, Mitarashi-san, Ugly-san and Tsunade-sama were all dumbfounded. Not to mention that Kurama hasn't been able to purge it out of your system. But as it was…." Sai was quite for a moment before continuing, "Konoha had burnt to the ground. We've abandoned Konoha." _

_The black eyed man heard a gasp from behind him. _

"_That... that bad?" The blonde choked on her question. "Where... where is everyone? Everyone's okay, right?" Baa-chan, Shizune, Iruka, Team Kakashi, Ino-Shika-Cho, Team 8, Team Gai, Konohamaru Corps… The list flashed in her mind, her panic was rising higher and higher. She knew they were all good shinobi and could take care of themselves, but they were her family in all but blood, the only family she had ever had, damn it! there was no stopping her from worrying about them._

_Sai stood up and moved to her side. He held out a hand to help her rise onto her feet, his fake smile in place._

"_We need to find a safer place to talk and to treat your wound. That boulder over there looks good enough." Sai was delaying the inevitable, he knew it; yet he really did not want to deliver the news about some of their comrades' disappearances._

_Naruto took the offered hand and let Sai put her arm around his shoulder before leading her to walk behind the boulder where an enemy ninja cracked his skull earlier. She shivered at the sight, but they did not have the luxury of choices at that time. They sat face to face with Naruto leaning back against the boulder. Sai immediately helped her to remove her armour. That done, he gave his roll of bandage to Naruto and climbed up the boulder to crouch there, with his back turned. He continued his reports while the blue-eyed girl opened her shirt and started bandaging her wound. It was a slow process considering her hands would not stop shaking._

"_Most of our shinobi went with Tsunade-sama to meet up with Terumi-sama in Nami no Kuni. Sasuke-san was sent out with Team Taka and a team of Chuunin to Oto's border to assess their movement one week ago. Orochimaru has been quiet. Too quiet. They haven't sent any reports other than saying that they're in position. Ino-Shika-Cho split out from the main force to intercept the Kazekage and his men before catching up with Tsunade-sama. Some teams of six or eight ninjas were sweeping out for any survivors before we departed. All in all less than 500 Konoha ninja are still banded together. Kiri and Iwa had it worse, I heard."_

"_Sai, catch." The blonde tossed him a scroll containing soldier pills and ration bars. The ex-Ne caught it with ease, eyes still scanning their surroundings. He took out a pack of ration bar and began munching slowly._

"_Ugly-san and Raidou-san disappeared five weeks ago. They were supposed to provide medical support to team 8 who had been trapped in a riot at the southern part of Tanzaku Gai. Tanzaku Gai had also been burnt to the ground. Uzuki-san, Kotetsu-san and Izumo-san were dispatched to find them not two weeks ago. We haven't heard from any of them since."_

_Sai's voice was his usual monotone, bland and lifeless. Somehow the normality that was Sai helped to subdue Naruto's panic at learning about her missing friends. _

_The pale-looking nin studied his friend carefully from his perched up on the boulder. After moments of tensing and trembling, his team-mate's body relaxed slightly and he deemed it safe to continue his report._

"_Iruka-san, Genma-san and Iwayashi-san ran afoul a band of Orochimaru's human experiments. They're alright," He interjected quickly at hearing the jinchuuriki's sharp intake of breath. "Shizune-san and team Gai reached them before things got any worse. We're supposed to meet up with them before entering the Capital."_

_The blonde kunoichi nodded, letting out a relieved sigh. There were too many deaths that she had seen within her twenty years of life already. _

"_Why couldn't Baa-chan take me with her, then?"_

"_You were badly weakened; Hokage-sama had hoped that you'd be able to get some rest and recuperate in a more secure location since the poison that you received had not been completely removed. Most likely all of them are going to join us, in the end. Other than that, there were no definite plans, actually. The Kages won't be able to gather together for too long, they have their own issues with each other as well."_

"_What happened in other villages? What day is it today, anyway?"_

"_More or less the same. There are factions with the more extreme military tendencies everywhere, you know that. The villages' main forces were severely weakened after the war and had not yet got back to their prime even after four years of rebuilding. There are also people with big enough capital that they deemed it were within their rights to demand some ridiculous things to be handed to them. All of them exploded by the time the news of your fall reached the other villages." The black haired ninja look up to check on the moon's position. "It's Wednesday, 8th today."_

"_Fear and greed then, huh?"_

_Quietly, Naruto pulled out a spare shirt from her provision pouch and began changing; her current shirt was too damaged and bloody. Too bad there was no water source nearby, she could use some bath._

_The golden jinchuuriki was still trying to wrap her mind around the situation. Four months ago things were looking for the better; the war was over and done with, the rebuilding was almost done. She had just finished her ANBU training and service, and was just starting her apprenticeship as the next Hokage; Sasuke was back and joined the village again; the Medical Training Program was thriving. They were at peace with other villages for the first time in the Elemental Continent's history. The future was looking brighter than ever. Then she was poisoned, and things went under overnight._

_In short, the hard-earned world's peace was spiralling down the gutter faster than she ever thought it would be. Was the shinobi world really needed a figurehead—for it seemed that what was all that she was, a figurehead—to maintain their peace so badly? Did people really need an (insanely strong and utterly crazy) common enemy to be able to set aside their differences and petty squabbles? Why could __not_ they just agree to disagree and leave it at that?

_All of those sacrifices made, all of those deaths during the last Shinobi War, had people forgotten about that?_

"_So, it'll be only you and I for a while, huh?"_

_It _was_ only the both of them for a long time after that._

_Three hundred and seventeen days, to be exact._

* * *

74 AKF

Madame Shijimi Private Pavilion, After Midnight

"Gomen, Jijii. But the Boss had specifically said no one gets through the door. _In and out_. They got things under control, so don't worry, dattebayo!"

The Sandaime Hokage quelled the need to facepalm. He finally settled for a deep sigh. "Himawari, it's the Kyuubi's chakra leaking out back there! I still remember the feeling and the aura!"

"It's not us, Jijii," The clone whispered as it looked around nervously. "Boss's got it under control."

"We can help, Himawari-san." Inoichi tried to get their points across, to no avail. The clones merely shook their heads again.

Shikaku did not even bother to say his trademark comment. He knew from experiences that both Minato and Kushina had a stubborn streak bigger than the Hokage Mountain. If the girl was anything like her parents, he knew that they had hit a rock wall. Literally.

They had been arguing for the last ten minutes since they reached the first floor. When the first batch of bunshins abruptly disappeared, the four of them had been worried that something had happened to the Namikaze's heiress, thus they had rushed to the door, only to be blocked by another batch of clones. However, whereas they had a chance to just barrel through the first batch, the later was out of the question.

These new clones were _at least_ Kage level ones, from the chakra they exuded alone. They had seen what the girl could do when she showed them her memories earlier, and one thing that all of them noted was that she could be very, very fast. The Konoha no Kiiroi Senkou's(1) progeny, indeed.

"But surely, Himawari-san…" Chouza was still trying to make the clones to see their reasoning. He was cut short, again.

"The Boss had said 'no', Chouza-Oji. So, NO!" The nearest clone stomped its foot to emphasize its point. "Aaa, they're done. Kurama's bringing a child here, and the Boss's also taking a friend and his little brother here, too!"

The Nara clan head raised an eyebrow. "Friend?"

The informative clone scratched its neck, muttered, "Umm… From somewhere?" Okay, now it's not so informative any longer.

The Hokage was about to ask another question when Kurama glimmered and took shape among the clones, carrying a bloody little boy with grey-bluish hair in his arms. The Sandaime and the Ino-Shika-Cho immediately stepped aside to make way. The original Himawari ran toward them, dragging a dark haired nin and a little boy with light grey hair along.

Kurama laid the bloody boy upon one of the table in the middle of the room, hands deftly pulling off the boy's bloody clothes from his body. The Sarutobi and his vassals were quick to follow him in.

Shikaku immediately pulled every bandage that he had in his equipment pouch out while Inoichi helped Kurama to wrap the wounds the best they could. The boy was suffering from severe chakra burns and chakra poisoning. Chouza was taking the boy's bloody clothes out when Himawari and her friend entered the premise.

"How is he, Kurama? Did you do it?"

"I took all the chakra out; it's easy since the seal holding it was loosening. But the damage is…bad." The girl was already placing her palms on top of the boy's head and chest. "No! Don't! With your circulation problem, you'll more likely to hurt him than heal him!"

The hands were withdrawn, she settled to rub the boy's hair instead. The fox-man turned his attention to the newcomer who was putting down a little boy from his back. He grinned at the young man.

"So, you made it back, too, huh?"

"Can any of you please fill us in of what have been going on?" The Sandaime, who had been waiting patiently aside while the injured boy was being treated, finally had enough and cut their conversations off. A tick mark was growing larger by the second as Himawari turned her attention toward the wizened Hokage. She grinned sheepishly at him, unconsciously raised one hand to scratch the back of her head.

"Can we hear them?" Genma chimed in as he and Raidou passed the entrance to the pavilion. Kakashi had already settled himself, slouching against the wall by the door, nose buried in a familiar orange book and seemingly without a care in the world. Himawari had to push back a snort at the sight, years of being around the Sharingan wielder had taught her never to take the gesture as a sign of his lack of interests. The man was the epitome of deception.

She had yet to open her mouth when Asuma, Chiriku and another Fire Guardian entered the premise with their prisoner in tow.

"I think explanations can wait in favour of taking care of the prisoner first, don't you think, Hokage-sama?" Shikaku drawled from his seat and Himawari felt like glomping the man for the save. "Can we inform the Daimyo about our situation? How do you get a message through upstairs?

It was Sarutobi Asuma who answered, "I'll get to it."

* * *

Swiftly and surely, the Gama Sennin picked his way through the labyrinth that would lead them right to the inner courtyard of the Daimyo's Palace or right into the city's sewage system –you pick. It had been a while since the last time he ventured through the maze, yet he still remembered it like it was yesterday. Shizune was following closely at his heel, having no desire to get lost within the capital's underground tunnels.

In the end they had to circle half of the capital before finding a suitable place for Tsunade to regain back her composures. They had left her at an abandoned lumberjack's hut by the Western wall. The last Senju had insisted that she would be fine on her own for a while. She had promised to catch up with them once there was no more smell of blood drifting out along with the wind. Shizune had consented, but left Ton-Ton with her Shishou so that the blonde Sennin could find them faster when said Sennin decided she could join them.

Jiraiya noted that they were about to take the last turn when he heard a commotion up ahead.

He had sent a messenger toad, Koisuke, to Madame Shijimi when they were half-way to the capital to inform her that they were coming and their Estimation Time of Arrival. Koisuke had returned to him with a message that they were to proceed directly inside and into the pavilion. There was nothing mentioned about expecting an attack or whether there would be any welcoming party. _'Look like it was an unprecedented attack, then. Let's see who we have here.'_

The Gama Sennin signalled Shizune to flatten her back against the wall and then cast the Touton no Jutsu(2) upon the both of them and waited.

A single masked ninja stumbled into the labyrinth, clearly injured yet determined to make his run. A simple chop to the back of the black-clad ninja's head later, Jiraiya had the man slumped on his shoulder. Both he and Shizune then proceeded to enter the Palace's inner courtyard.

Once they were out of the maze, the Gama Sennin stretched his senses and raised his brows when he detected the presences of his Sensei and another familiar chakra signature. It was already past midnight.

"Let's go Shizune! To the pavilion we go!" He exclaimed in his trademark Kabuki style, arms stretched, legs wide apart, large grin on his face and all that. The black-haired medic sighed, feeling a large sweat-drop formed behind her head.

"Hai, Jiraiya-sama."

* * *

Naruto was having a temper tantrum inside her mind-scape.

"_Let me get this straight, you didn't know what will happen when someone with normal chakra reserve travelled through the crack of time and space that _you_ had created. Yet you brought Sai along? What if he died on the way? What if he died when he got here? What if Danzo was there in the room when he changed into his grown up self, dattebayo!? And what do you mean you had no idea where he disappeared to after we got here, huh?"_

"_Brat, your body was lying on his lap! There was no time to separate you two. He'd be dead anyway from the pressure of our Lament! What would you have me do, leave him there to be shred to pieces just like everything else?" _The Nine-Tailed Bijuu felt his low patience level was thinning out ever so quickly.

"_You could have told me you brought him along. I could go and find him before we come here, dattebayo!"_

"_And where do you purpose to find him? Even the pale brat himself only remembered that he was put somewhere to the west of Konoha when he was trained by that cripple! There's a large stretched of land there. Your chakra is still unstable; don't tell me you're going to use Senjutsu with your current problem! Even your normal sensing isn't working right now, let alone Senjutsu! Thousands of Kage Bunshins would be too suspicious, even if you henged them to take another form. I have to work hard enough as it is to keep your humongous chakra suppressed!"_

"_And why do I have to suffer this… this… whatever this chakra problem is? Why can't you guys just take it to your own body?"_

The large fox rolled his eyes. _"We can take the excess chakra, yes. But the other hosts don't have your Uzumaki chakra and capacity. They may very well explode from chakra overload. Do you really want that?"_

The slender shoulders sagged. Kurama knew that he had won this round. He grinned widely, savouring the little victory.

"_No, I don't want that, dattebayo!"_ The girl bit her bottom lips and sighed in defeat. _"You know, Kurama. I remember getting lost in the forest and being brought back by two kind ninjas as a kid, but I didn't meet my godmother then. Why is it different now?"_

Flicking his tails one by one lazily, the bijuu took his time in answering, until he heard an irritated sigh coming from the blonde girl standing before him. He gave the girl an annoyed huff before gracing her with an answer.

"_The Lesser Demon sensed our chakra wave when we got here, and she prompted her mistress to investigate. We're being here is not natural, as I said before there bound to be a disturbance in the flow of nature. Animals are much more sensitive than human in that regard. Remember that earthquake in Kusa? There had been reports of wild animals fled from the area one day _before_ the quake, right? They were running away to find something that had been interrupted and lost in that place: stability in the flow of nature. _

_Seeing how things progressed so far, I'm beginning to think that it would be much easier for us if our arrival went unnoticed. Less complication that way."_

"_Yeah, so many explanations all at once. Too much talking already, and not much done." _She bit her bottom lip before brightened up again._ "But hey, we saved Asuma-Sensei's friends. The last time it was only the monk and Sora's dad beside Asuma-Sensei who survived. Even then, Sora's dad pretended to be dead, right? So we did do something good, dattebayo!"_

The large, red eyes gleamed for a moment,_ "If you say so, Brat. Just remember that there'll likely other butterfly effect forming already without you realizing it."_

"_What kind of butterfly?" _The dumb question was belied by the sparkle in the deep blue-eyes_._

"_Brat. Don't play dumb with me. You might be not as smart as me, but you're definitely smarter than you let on."_

"_Thanks!" _Kurama counted to five in his head_. '5, 4, 3, 2, 1'. "Hey! What do you mean by that, dattebayo?!"_

The Fox Demon merely levelled her with a pointed look. The girl returned it with a pointed glare of her own before huffing loudly.

"_Okay… okay. I get it. Super-smart-ass demon and all that…. Wait, how about Sai? How come he could travel back too? I'm glad he did, dattebayo, but this is so confusing!"_

"_See what I mean, Brat?" _The satisfied grin was big enough to tempt Naruto to give a grin of her own. "_This is only a guess, but I think it's because your friend is used to my chakra."_

"_Huh? So did many others, didn't they?"_

"_He's your ANBU mentor and partner. How many times did you transfer _our_ chakra onto him during the years? You've been paired up together for two years after the war, not to mention the last year on the run. He's built his own resistant to the bijuu's chakra. That's what I think the reasons for his survival through the journey here, since us bijuu had to weave some sort of chakra cocoon to make sure you survived the journey and he was incorporated within the cocoon along with you. _

_It's the same with that one-eyed Sensei of yours. Why did you think it was so easy for me to give him my chakra the first time around? It's because of familiarity. His chakra was always around you, Brat. There were times during Kushina's pregnancy when her seal was loose just enough for me to look around and I was able to feel her surroundings. That brat's chakra was always there in the background, but close. He was what… your mother's personal guard, wasn't he? Even during the years before we met, his chakra was always there around you. You learned about that when we fought against that one-eye Uchiha, have you forgotten that already?"_

"_No, I haven't."_ The blue eyes dimmed when he mentioned her Sensei, and she fell quiet after that.

Kurama knew he was being particularly wicked to bring that topic out into their conversation. Yet he knew that it would shut her up immediately and besides, he did not feel any remorse for the sad glint and denial in her eyes. The Brat had refused to mourn, and it was actually eating her up inside. She had been pushing her grieve and loss aside long enough –three, four years– it's time for her to accept and deal with it.

She needed to grieve, and then maybe she could move on afterwards.

"Dickless."

The Jinchuuriki raised her head; dampened blue eyes met inquisitive black ones.

"You're thinking about Senpai again."

Naruto had always imagined that the day Sasuke return to the village, the four of them, Kakashi, Sakura, Sakura and Naruto herself would spend hours together; training, talking, laughing, joking, doing nothing at all, but together nonetheless. That there would be so many things to share and talk about with each other after years of being apart.

It did not happen that way.

After the war, the funeral, the days of mourning, and settling back in the village, Sasuke, Sakura and herself had drifted apart. They were still placed on the same team; their teamwork was still excellent, they still went on missions together, had dinner once a month and trainings together from time to time. Yet the three of them soon realized that they had little to nothing in common outside trainings and battling together.

After all the 'do you remembers' have been recalled, you could only talk so much about new training method and jutsu, including giving suggestions and advices to each other. As soon as everything that ninja related had been said and done, the rest of the time they would fell into awkward silence.

Bickering with each other had worked at first, but they, at least Naruto herself, realized that as they grew older, one could only bicker so much.

Strangely enough, Naruto had found an agreeable company in Sai. Their personalities clashed, true; she had always worn her heart on her sleeve and Sai had no concepts of personal emotions whatsoever. Naruto would prattle all she wanted while Sai was busy painting, but they both had found a strange sort of understanding. Naruto's prattler was amusing to Sai, while the pale-looking nin's quiet attitude never failed to calm the jinchuuriki.

Then the Godaime had assigned Sai to be Naruto's mentor when she ordered the Jinchuuriki to join the ANBU as Hokage-in-training, and later they were partnered together for over two years. They were only grown closer then.

She sighed. Blue eyes were staring expressionlessly at the room before they fell on the figure slouching against the wall. She tore her gaze away quickly.

"He's here, alive and well. I was both surprised and happy to see him. But I just realized that he's not the same person, and if I had my way, he would never be. I'll do anything to spare him the pain of knowing what his best friend had done to us, to my parents, to the village, the world and the future. I'll do anything to spare him the guilt of what he'd be blaming himself for without a doubt.

You didn't see him when the truth came out, Sai. When Tobi's mask was broken and he told us why he did what he did. Sensei was crushed into so many pieces in so many ways, I was so afraid I couldn't reach out to him ever again… That nobody would ever could. But if he'd never become who he was in our past… future… I…" The jinchuuriki buried her face into her folded arms upon the table, body shaking lightly.

Sai, emotionally stunted as he was, sometimes seemed to have his moments of epiphany about other people's feelings at the right times. He reached out to take one of her hands and hold it in his, although his face remained placid.

"You're not planning on telling him about yourself, about where and when we're coming from." It was not a question.

His friend shook her head slightly, face still buried in her arms. The former Ne sighed and tightened his hold on her hand.

* * *

The silver-haired nin took a quick glance around as he flipped the page of his book, the scenes in the room looked much more interesting than the content of Jiraiya-sama's masterpiece at the moment. Well, to be honest, only the scene at one corner of the room.

Genma was sitting with his back against the wall while munching some Karumeyaki(3), the servants' quarter had been re-opened and they had been busy bringing out some midnight snacks for the guests. Raidou was sprawled at the same side of the wall as Genma, snoring softly with his kokutou laid beside him. The Ino-Shika-Cho trio, the Sandaime Hokage and the remaining Fire Guardians were helping and accompanying the Fire Daimyo interrogating the prisoners in jail, heavily guarded by a team of Palace's Guards. Madame Shijimi was at the second floor, busy supervising the children which somehow had grown in number from two in the afternoon into four past midnight.

He directed his gaze towards his point of interests at the moment.

The red-head's Kage Bunshins had spread themselves around the pavilion to stay on guard. Their warm and somewhat familiar chakra enveloped the entire pavilion, saturating the air with a sense of contentment.

The original red-head herself was sitting face to face with Kurama at one corner. He could only see one side of her face from where he was standing. Even then, the visible part of her face was partly covered by the scarlet locks curtailing down her face. Both the Uzumaki and Kurama were locked in a staring contest. They were trading glowers and scowls back and forth, with occasional snarls every now and then.

The pale ninja whose name he had learnt was Sai was sitting between the two, eyeing them with an unassuming look on his face. It looked as if Sai was observing an everyday occurrence between them, which was more than likely considering the way they had been communicating with each other since the black-haired nin made his appearance earlier. Single silver brow frowned at the remembrance.

The strange feeling of déjà vu around the girl was overwhelming. Even when the red-head was dragging her black-haired friend toward the pavilion the sensation persisted. Like seeing a different hair-coloured girl tugging her friend to go somewhere while Kakashi himself was following from behind, chuckling all the way.

Then there was the anxiety he had felt when the clones suddenly disappeared. Again, the impression that the same thing had happened before yanked at his gut.

The single dark grey eye moved back toward Genma. He suspected that the bandanna wearing nin had heard him growling when the red-head hugged her friend, since the Tokujou kept throwing him an odd look every so often. That growl had been unexpected, even he was surprised at himself.

The Shiranui raised his head from his teacup and raised a questioning brow at him. Kakashi merely gave him a blank look and returned to his book.

A slight movement from Kurama pulled his attention back to that particular corner. The odd-haired man was leaning back at his seat, grinning smugly at the red-head. While the Uzumaki was slumped back on her seat, staring down morosely at her own folded hands on the table. It looked like their staring contest had ended, with Kurama being the winner.

Kakashi raised his book to his face when the blue eyes roamed the room. It would not do to get caught spying…observing her so blatantly.

The Sai guy was saying something to the red-head; Kakashi narrowed his uncovered eye, trying to lip-read their conversation. But the guy was good, his lips were barely moving at all. They spoke in low voices, barely above whispering. A word or two drifted his way, but nothing more. He was tempted to apply chakra to his ears when the Uzumaki began talking; however their conversation seemed to be a private one despite of the place.

He decided to let his curiosity suffer for the moment. The chance that Himawari, Sai and Kurama were going to go back with them to Konoha was high. Now that she had met Naruto, there was no way an Uzumaki would leave a family member growing up alone, that much he knew from Kushina-san. And judging from the way the other two seemed to gravitate around the Uzumaki, Kakashi was certain that they would follow her everywhere she went. He would have more chance to spy… observe her later.

Kakashi returned his book back into his waist-pouch when the Daimyo and his contingent entered the room while Genma nudged Raidou awake.

The Fire Daimyo, the Sandaime and the Ino-Shika-Cho trio took their seats around the Uzumaki, their faces grim.

"So, how's the interrogation going, Daimyo-sama?" It was the red-head who broke the silence tension.

"Hmm? Kazuma was happy to talk, actually. It was almost like he was proud to babble out his plan. He said that he had received a message late last night about the Hokage coming here and was advised to execute their plan of removing the Hokage and Ourselves tonight. He was to be supported with two hundred and fifty high level ninja to perform the task.

He went to the Fire Temple yesterday morning to collect his son whom he has prepared to be their ultimate weapon. Kazuma claimed that he collected the residue from the Kyuubi's chakra and sealed it into his son." The Daimyo raised an eyebrow toward Kurama and the Fox-Man nodded diminutively. "The masked ninja were mostly silence, but some who were willing to talk, could not. They started having seizures and then paralysed completely."

"Danzou's Juuinjutsu." It was Sai who spoke.

The Daimyo tilted his head toward the black-clad nin. "Oh, you know about it? But We have searched their bodies and We have found nothing. Where did he apply it?"

"At the back of one's tongue, near the throat. I can remove it."

"Very well, you shall be escorted to prison and remove those seals from the masked ninja. Seito!"

Said Fire Guardian stood up and bowed to the Daimyo while Sai too stood up to follow Seito out of the room. They were barely took a couple of steps when a booming voice greeted them from the door.

"Behold! Mt. Myouboku Gama Holy Master Sennin, Jiraiya the Gallant is here!"

Massive sweat-dropped.

Collective face-palmed.

Group eye-rolled.

The too-wide grin fell and turned into a pout when Jiraiya noticed that nobody in the room shown any enthusiasm at his entrance. He threw his 'passenger' down from his shoulder onto the floor.

"No appreciation of a good entrance anymore, and I've brought a gift and all." The murmured words were uttered loud enough to gain another collective sweat-drop.

Seito quickly apprehended the 'gift', who was clearly part of the intruder earlier that night, and dragged the masked ninja outside towards prison.

The Gama Sennin then entered the room with a rekindled passion, wooden geta clanked loudly against the floor. A black-haired woman in black kimono trailed behind him. She bowed to the Daimyo and the Hokage before walking to Kakashi's side, tilting her head slightly as a greeting and stood at attention there.

"So, where's the beautiful Madame, Daimyo-sama? I didn't expect to have an honorary welcome committee, you know."

Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed before he spoke to his student. "Jiraiya, what are you doing here? And with Shizune, too? Where is Tsunade?"

"Well, you see Sensei…"

Whack!

The Gama Sennin slumped to the floor with a large bump on his head. As soon as the tall man fell, a blonde-haired woman became visible to the rest of the room.

"Here, Sensei." Senju Tsunade answered her mentor then bowed slightly toward the Daimyo. She homed in back on Jiraiya's crumpled body. "You left three hours ago, what took you so long to get here, Pervert?"

Before the white-haired man could provide an answer, the red-head had risen from her seat and headed to the stairs, murmured lowly as she passed through the door.

"I'll go get the Madame."

The blonde Sannin gawked as the girl disappeared up the stairs before whispering to nobody in particular, "That chakra…. Is that an Uzumaki?"

* * *

Naruto knew that she was practically _fleeing _from the room.

As soon as the room disappeared under the stairs, she slowed down her steps.

When she first realized that somehow she had been transferred into her past existence, she was ecstatic. The thoughts of meeting all of her precious people once again made her giddy with excitement and expectation. She had been blessed with another chance to safe each and every one of them, a chance that she had no intention of wasting.

However, she had never thought that it would be so _painful_.

Meeting her godmother, Genma, and Raidou was easy because she had thought that she had died and finally got the chance to see everybody again.

Talking to Jijii again was uncomplicated, somewhere deep down she had merely treated their meeting as another dream, just like dreaming of her father and mother.

Running into Sai was simple, because everything with Sai had always been simple.

Seeing Kakashi-Sensei again was _reeling_.

After the war was over and done with, she knew she had been lying to herself in saying that the silver-haired nin was only forgot the time to come to the bridge. That he was merely out of the village on a prolonged mission. That he was simply avoiding her so that he would not have to pay for her ramen bills at the Ichiraku's. That he would one day ambled to training ground three and give them, _her_, another lame excuse for being late, again.

She was the one who carved the names of the fallen onto the ebony surface of the Memorial Stone; she had etched _his name_ there. However, she had always purposely skipped on reading his name every time she went to visit the Stone to pay her homages. Reading it, saying it out loud there on the Memorial would turn his absences into a fixed reality, one that she had refused to face.

In a way she had dealt with his non-attendance exactly like she did with the villagers' treatment during her childhood days. She pushed the gloomy thoughts back and aside, buried it so deep that she herself had to struggle if she ever wanted to get back there.

Kurama was particularly mad at her because of that, but she could not, _would_ not face that one reality.

Therefore, when she turned around after finishing her daiko composition and saw that -oh-so-familiar- tuft of silver hair under the kashi tree –how ironic– orange book in one hand and the other hand in his pocket, Naruto's first thought was that her own reasoning all of these years had been proven right. That the habitually tardy jounin had finally returned from whatever mission he was sent out for, half expecting to receive that infuriating eye-smile along with his two-fingers salutation again. Waiting for that gloved-hand to land on her head and then ruffling her hair just to irritate her.

But it did _not_ happen.

No eye-smile for her.

No two-finger salutation.

No lame excuses for being late.

No hand messing up her hair.

The truth finally hit home, _hard_.

After that fateful afternoon on the hospital roof, _Team 7 had _never_ put one step in Konoha together, ever again._

Naruto stopped climbing up the stairs and uncurled her fingers slowly. She had unconsciously dug her nails into the flesh on her palms. She stared at her hands as the wounds knitted themselves back together, leaving no scars on the still bloodied palms.

These people were her precious people, yet at the same time, they were not. They, for one, certainly did not _know_ her. Despite of Genma's and Raidou's –probably Iwashi's too– protective attitude toward her, in their eyes she was still that little _boy_ in orange jumpsuit that they had taken to watch from time to time.

Although Madame Shijimi had welcomed her with open arms as she always did in her past, this Madame Shijimi was not the same with the one from her future. This Madame Shijimi was not the one who had became her Onee-san and taught her everything she needed to know to become a strong kunoichi and a formidable Hokage. This Fire Daimyo was not the same with the uncle who kept pestering her to come to the Council Meeting disguised as a maid-in-attendance.

Iruka-Sensei still hated Naruto in this timeline. He would never going to treat her all-she-can-eat at the Ichiraku's after spending a whole afternoon in detention ever again.

This Hatake Kakashi was _not_ her Jounin Sensei. This was not the same man who had told her that it was okay for her to find her own nindou. It was a different Kakashi who had told her that a shinobi was human first and foremost. Not the same man who had shown her how to be strong and gave her the means to do so.

He would never again tell her with that same easy conviction that he believed in her and that she was unquestionably going to surpass him and the Yondaime one day. Definitely a different person than the one who had never let her fall whenever he was around and had always tried to be around to catch her.

This Kakashi might _never_ going to catch her even if she hit rock bottom when he was around.

That person slouching against the wall downstairs only cared for Naruto because of Minato and Kushina. The care that might never be switched into the care for Naruto because of Naruto herself, like he did in her past, his future.

The never again past, the could have been future.

Just as she came to that realization, Ero-Sennin had strolled in along with Shizune Nee-chan. It took her everything that she's got not to strangle them in a hug then and there.

Before she could even begin to control her emotions, Tsunade Baa-chan had walked in, and Naruto had no choice but running away from the room.

She felt like a coward.

Among them, her previously precious people, she was actually a stranger with memories of what could have been. Memories that she had no intention to re-live once again, just to spare them the pain of that particular could have been. She was given the chance to meet with everyone that had been precious to her once again, only to be alone in their midst.

Naruto was not sure whether it was a blessing or a curse.

"_Brat, stop moping."_ She blinked and the bedroom door where the children were tucked in came into view. "_And stop thinking that you're all alone. What are we? Chopped liver?_"

"_You know what I mean, Kurama. These people…."_

"_Are here because they care. That pale brat ran from somewhere in Ame, carrying his brother on his back, all the way here to get to you. Your pervert of a godfather and that busty blonde of an aunt ran from who knows where to get here. That one-eyed Sensei of yours, he didn't have to come but he came anyway. That old monkey was worried about you, that needle chewing guy and the scarred face…."_

"_Okay. Okay, I got it."_

"_Did you, now? Being doom and gloom doesn't suit you, Brat. If they don't know who you are, then let them in, get to know them again. Let them get to know you. Make friends. Isn't that what you always do? What's so hard in befriending your old friends all over again after you befriended _me_, and all the _nine of us_? And pay attention, your godmother is talking to you."_

"…wari? Himawari? What's wrong, child?" Naruto shook her head to regain her focus and gave her worried-looking godmother a small smile.

"Gomen, Baa-chan. I just want to let you know that Jiraiya and Tsunade Baa-chan are here."

"Ah, good. I'll have Hime to take a look at little Sora's wounds." The Madame snapped her fingers and one of the servants in the room came over to her. "Go tell the Daimyo to bring the guests to the third floor, tell the blonde lady downstairs that we have a child with chakra burns and mild chakra poisoning here. And tell the cook to prepare some snacks to be served there. The ninjas have a hearty appetite, I gather. And bring some sake to the conference room, too." The maid bowed and scurried out of the room. Madame Shijimi waited until the bedroom door was closed before turning her attention back to her god-daughter. "Now, is there something you want to say, Himawari?"

"Aaa… No?"

The Madame snorted. She craned her neck into the room to deliver some hushed instructions to the maid waiting there. That done, she then grabbed her god-daughter by the hand and pushed her inside the adjacent room. Prompting Naruto to sit on the bed and she too, seated herself.

"Speak."

"Aaa…. I…." Naruto blinked back the tears that threatened to fall.

"You could have sent one of the guard or your clone to tell me that Jiraiya and Tsunade-Hime are here, yet you did not, you came yourself. And when you got here, you just stood there as if someone had slapped you in the face, hard. Now, talk. I'm all ears."

"Maa… I… I just… I've come to realize that everybody I knew had already dead, except for Sai, Baa-chan. I… it's just… I was… I'm so happy to see you again, all of you, here. Alive and breathing… but…."

"We're not the same people you've known and love. I see…. What brought this on?"

"When Ero-Sennin and Shizune Nee-chan came, I…." Naruto choked on her words, swallowed a sizeable lump in her throat before continuing, "And then Tsunade Baa-chan came in… I…." '_Don't cry. Don't cry_._ Don't cry. Stop crying, damn it!_'

Her godmother peered into her face as if she was looking for something. After a while she stood up, "Wait here," and the Madame left the room briskly.

Naruto heard the sound of several people greeting her godmother outside the room, some whispered exchange and then silent.

She had no time to go back moping because Madame Shijimi was back within the minute with some orange material and her make-ups case in her hands. The chubby lady went back to sit beside her, handed over the orange material to her and waited.

"Huh, what do you want me to do with my tattered pants, Baa-chan?"

"Look into the pockets, Naruto."

The jinchuuriki blinked and looked down at her lap where the orange pants laid innocently. She looked at her godmother and sighed. She began tapping at the side pockets of the pants. The left side was empty. She turned the tattered material around and felt for the right side. A frown rose to her brow when she touched something hard and edgy within the pocket. Carefully, she inserted her hand into the pocket and brought out a key tied to a key-ring. She stared at it.

It was the key to her apartment door as a child, the apartment that had been destroyed when Pain attacked. But it was not the key that held her gaze; it was the key-ring. The tiny pug key-ring. The little pug wearing Konoha's hitai-ate and a nin vest with henohenomoheji drawn at the back.

Her Pakkun key-ring.

She never remembered how she had gotten the key-ring in the first place. It had always been there, maybe from the very first time she started living on her own.

Perhaps it was.

"Only one family I know in Konoha, in the entire Elemental Continent even, which holds the dog's contract." Her godmother's voice sounded so far away. "Maybe we're not the same with the ones you left behind, but we could learn to love you all the same. And you can learn to love us, too."

Naruto remained silent.

"Let's wash the hair-dye; it would be easier for you to talk to Jiraiya and Tsunade Hime as yourself, without any pretext. We could always apply the dye back on later." The Madame half-pushed half coaxed her god-daughter to step into the bathroom, and Naruto let her.

The jinchuuriki put her weary body upon the wooden stool beside the bathtub, with her back against the side of the tub and surrender herself into the care of her godmother.

Deft fingers began stroking her scalps with scented oil to soften the dye, trailing down the long tresses carefully. "Allow us to become part of your life again, Naruto-chan. We, at least your Oji-san and I, would be proud to be a part of it. And I'm certain that Hiruzen and the two assassins downstairs would like that also."

"Aaa… I…."

"And if you gave them a chance, that old pervert and Hime would be happy, too, you know." The warm hands tilted her head back, gently placing the back of her neck upon the smooth frame of the porcelain tub, her hair cascading into it. "Maybe we will not be the same ones as those in your memories, but can you at least allow us to make some new memories?"

The jinchuuriki balled her hands into a fist as she let her godmother's words sinking in. Could she do that?

Could she not having her godmother teaching her everything she knew about running a country, about being an open-minded person, about becoming a strong woman? She had already learnt all that anyway. Most importantly, the kind Madame was alive and happy –maybe not happy all the time, but in general, she was happy– and so was the Daimyo.

Not having Tsunade Baa-chan ordering her around, sending her out on missions that were certain to reduce the members of her team, not drinking sake together after a funeral when a ninja fell in the line of duty, or like after _the_ funeral? But Tsunade Baa-chan was here, alive and, well maybe not so very happy, but she could definitely try to make her happier, right? Although, perhaps she would have to bet against Baa-chan again so that the busty woman would be willing to become the Gondaime Hokage.

That Ero-Sennin downstairs might never going to ask her to edit his so-called literature ever again, she might never going to have to save him from mobs of angry women at onsen, and he certainly was not going to throw her off the ravine to make her summon Gamabunta ever again. At least she could live without that last one. Her godfather was alive, and she could try to make sure that he would die of old age, or at least at the hands of enraged women at an onsen somewhere, but certainly not in the hands of his own student.

She could make sure that this Jijii got his retirement back so he could spend his old age in drawing and writing and walking Konohamaru to the Academy.

This Shizune Nee-chan would not be sewing Naruto's favourite battle kimono, but she would not be burning her Shishou's remains somewhere in a wasteland either.

And Kakashi-Sensei…

She would think about him later.

She could try her best to protect these people in this timeline so that they would not meet their untimely demise like their counterparts.

True, these people in this timeline were not the same as those that she had left behind…or had they leave her? but she could paint some new images with them, craft some new memories. It was not like she wanted to repeat all of those that had already been done and gone.

Yeah, she could do that.

"I'll try and do that, Baa-chan. I'll try and do that."

There was warm water poured onto her scalp and Naruto let her eyes drifted close.

The tanned girl smiled slightly as she felt her wavering resolves steeled themselves back. Who was she kidding? She had started her journey alone, making friend one at a time as she went. She would do it again. She _could_ do it again.

She would rather having them as new friends, new family, but _happy _and_ alive_ than having them back as before, yet _unhappy _and_ dead_.

"_There, that's better."_

"_Thanks, Kurama."_

"_You're still _my_ host first. It won't do to have you weak and teary. It'll make _me_ look bad among my siblings."_

"_Love you too, you overgrown fluffy."_ She stretched her fist toward the fox.

"_Hmph, Brat."_ Despite his grumbling, the demon bumped his own fist against hers. _"Remember, there's only one way to go when you hit rock bottom."_

Naruto gave the Nine-Tailed Demon residing in her mind-scape her own foxy grin. "_UP!_"

"Feels better?" The tanned girl blinked and she was welcomed by Madame Shijimi's grin.

"Hai, Baa-chan. Arigatou."

"Good, go and clean your make-ups. I shall wait for you outside and then we could attend the conference together."

* * *

Shiranui Genma watched Naruto's back disappeared behind the partition.

He had seen a glimmer of water in her eyes when the blue orbs swept over Kakashi's figure for the briefest moment. He had observed from the corner of his eyes as the now-red-head conversed with the black-haired guy. Noting how her shoulders slumped down and her back hunched on itself.

Something was bothering her, and the exuberant smile that had greeted him and Raidou yesterday –no, its past midnight already– two days ago had been dimmed considerably. She had become tensed, edgy and world-weary in general.

Approximately ten minutes after the girl withdrew from the room; a servant girl appeared to deliver some instructions to the Fire Daimyo. The Daimyo nodded, dismissed the servant and then beckoned some of the people in the room to follow him upstairs –including the black-haired nin– leaving them the lower strata to refresh themselves.

The bandanna-wearing nin nudged his scarred-face comrade to follow him outside, leaving the Hatake to entertain the black-clad kunoichi. Genma remembered her from when they were still children, but he could not recall her name at the moment. He figured they could always socialize later.

He led the way toward the large evergreen oak tree at the entrance of the pavilion before turning to face his friend. He was about to speak his mind when Raidou beat him to it.

"Something's not right with Na-Himawari." His voice was low, barely above a whisper.

"Yeah, I've noticed. What do you think is wrong with her?"

"We're dead."

"Excuse me?"

"Remember when she first arrived? She thought she was dead and was meeting us in the afterlife. She was so happy, then."

Genma scrunched his eyebrows, "and?"

"I think it's just dawned on her that we're not dead, but we're not the same person she'd known before…."

"And she almost cried when she watched Kakashi after the fight, definitely running away when the two Sannin arrived…. Shit… I'd hate to be her." He clicked his senbon against his teeth. "You know I couldn't help but loving that orange-clad scrawny little boy running around creating havoc in Konoha, right? I know you guys feel it too, and not just because of Yondaime-sama and Kushina-sama. That sad look on her face definitely wrong to be there…. What do we do?"

"My best guess is that she's worried that we'll get ourselves killed. So, what we need to do is staying alive. Keeps everybody alive. At least that way it's one less worry for her." The scarred-face Tokujou rubbed the back of his head, sighing deeply, "We have to train our ass off. Maybe taking the Jounin Exams."

Genma stared at his partner for the longest time, "That's the only way we know how, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Do you think she'd put some distance from us because we're not the same persons that she'd known before?"

"That, I have no idea."

"Let's hope not."

"Hmm."

* * *

Madame Shijimi opened the conference room's door and gently pushing Naruto inside. She then closed the door, locked them up and talked to her god-daughter, "Barrier, please, Himawari."

The jinchuuriki did as she was asked. She stood there for a moment to take note of the occupants of the room one by one from under her hood.

The Sandaime along the Ino-Shika-Cho trio were already seated on their previous seats at one side of the long table. The Fire Daimyo had taken the seat on the head of the table, hands tucked into the sleeve of his kimono, his expression calm. Both Sannin were seated across the Sandaime, eyes curious and calculating. She could see Sai sat somewhat to the side, occupying a small table to himself. Kurama was leaning against the wall behind the black-haired nin, he tilted his head at her.

Naruto was about to take a seat when Madame Shijimi held her elbow back and said softly, "Your hood, my dear."

She felt her knees weakened and gave a small "No," however the Madame smiled softly at her, a small smile that simply conveyed 'trust me'. Taking a deep breath, she finally relented. Her godmother pulled her dark hood off and then took off the cloak as well.

There were sounds of clattering wood as the Gama Sennin jumped from his seat, his chair fell to the floor as he did so. His usually kind eyes narrowed dangerously at her and Naruto had to bite the inside of her cheek to stop herself from shivering. It was not the killing intent emitting from Jiraiya that shook her, it was the look of accusations and hatred in his eyes.

It was Jiraiya the Sannin who spoke a moment later, not her godfather.

"What's the meaning of this, Sensei! Who's this…. This person… impostor…" The large table was quavering under his fist. The Nara who had acted quickly felt his chakra draining away in waves as he tried to stop the Sannin's movement with his Kagemane.

"Jiraiya, calm down, and let us explain. Let her explain." Madame Shijimi immediately tried to placate the enraged Sannin.

"Don't tell me she claimed to be Minato's sister or relative! My student was an only child when he was orphaned. You knew it, Madame! Nara, release me!"

"This girl had never said that she was Minato's sister, Jiraiya." Hiruzen too, tried to soothe his student's rage. He threw an apologetic look at Naruto who was closed to tears. She returned the look with a quivering smile.

The Slug Princess was not as enraged as Jiraiya, but she too was suspicious.

"You better have a good explanation for this, Sensei, Shijimi." Her voice was cold and edgy. "Jiraiya, sit down." She grabbed the back of his collar just as Shikaku loose hold of his jutsu.

The tall man grabbed his chair back and then threw his body down onto it. He huffed. "Fine. I'll listen, and you'd better make it good, young lady!"

Naruto bit her lips at the retort. Never. Her godfather had never spoken to her with that tone and it _hurt_.

The Fire Daimyo drew in a deep breath before speaking to her. His eyes also had an apologetic glint in them. "I'm sorry, child. We have not informed both Sannin about your circumstances yet."

Mentally shaking off the pain inflicted by Jiraiya's and Tsunade's words, she gave the Daimyo a weak smile. "That's alright, Oji-san. May I?"

The Daimyo motioned her to take a seat. She sat beside the Sandaime, unconsciously trying to find an anchor. She could hear Kurama humming softly through their mind-links, she could also see Sai's placid smile.

She raised her head to look at both of her pseudo-parents; she would do anything to have their trusts, to have them at her side as her family once again. '_Better deal with this now_.'

Both Sannin were waiting with their eyes narrowed at her. She took a deep breath and met their gazes head on, ignoring the fight or flight instinct roaring in her head triggered by her godfather's killing intent.

"My name is Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto. The only child of Namikaze Minato, Konoha no Kiiroi no Senkou, formerly the Yondaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato and Uzumaki Kushina, Akai Chisio no Habanero(4), formerly of Uzushiogakure no Sato and the second jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Youko. I was named after a character in '_The Tale of the Gutsy Shinobi_' by Jiraiya the Gallant." She raised her palm when she saw Jiraiya's opened his mouth to speak.

"Please, allow me to continue. I am also the third jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Youko, a student to Hatake Kakashi the Copy Ninja, apprentice to Jiraiya the Gama Sennin, the last holder of the Toad contracts. My father left the key to open the Hakke no Fuuin Shiki (5) formed by combining two Shishou Fuuin(6) to Gerotora, who I presumed is still in your stomach this time, dattebayo!" She drew in another deep breath, looking at her godfather directly in the eyes. "Also, Gamamaru, The Ougama Sennin(7) called me as the Yogen no Ko.(8)"

Naruto could hear Jiraiya's breath hitched at her last claim. It was a tall claim, and the Gama Sennin had already lost two of his students whom he had presumed to be the Child of Prophecy. He would have to consult the toads to deny or accept her claim, and she was banking on that. She was relying on Kurama's earlier speculation about the summon creatures having sensed their arrival in this timeline.

"Naruto is only an eight years old girl dressed as a boy. You're what, eighteen? Nineteen?" The Sennin blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"Her claims are all true, Jiraiya-sama, Tsunade-sama. I've already seen her memories. We all have." The Yamanaka patriarch felt the need to support her claims. There were a lot of grounds to cover and the sooner the matter of Naruto's identity was cleared, they could move onto the more pressing matters.

"Wait… Are you saying that you're not from this timeline, from now?" Tsunade threw in her own doubts.

"Inoichi, are you sure what she's shown you weren't fabricated memories?"

Naruto bristled. She really had no wished to let Inoichi delve into her mind once again. It was hard enough to skip some of her memories the first time, and after her earlier outburst, she was not sure she could hide the nastier memories away from prying eyes again.

"You can test her claims. Let her drop some of her blood onto the Toad Summoning Scroll." Kurama's rumbling voice echoed from the corner of the room.

Naruto gave him a raised brow, "Are you sure?"

"Trust me."

The Gama Sennin gave Kurama an appraising look before shrugging his shoulders. "Fine. Don't do anything funny, young lady!"

He reached at his back to take the large Summoning Scroll from its hold, unfurling it at the table before him. The last person recorded to sign the contract was still Namikaze Minato. He levelled her with a sharp gaze. "Give me your blood. Just, stay where you are, and pass a kunai or something with your blood on it."

An ink-made bottle appeared in front of her and Naruto blinked at it. She turned to find Sai's fake smile at her side. "Thanks, Sai." The former Ne nodded and then returned to his own table.

Naruto slowly fished out a kunai from her pouch and then nipped her thumb. She let her blood dripping into the bottle while the wound knitted itself back together. She could feel Tsunade's breath hitched while she filled the bottle and she cursed herself. She had forgotten that her Baa-chan was still suffering from the fear of blood at this moment in the timeline. Well, there was no use regretting it.

She capped the lid, and then gave the bottle a little push toward Jiraiya who stopped the sliding bottle with his pointy finger. With his black eyes still trailing at her, the Gama Sennin uncapped the bottle and then dropped the blood in it onto the large scroll.

The parchment soaked up Naruto's blood to the last drop without leaving any trace. For a moment, nothing happened to the scroll. Jiraiya was about to say something when suddenly there was smoke rose from the Summoner's slot after Namikaze Minato's name. They all watched as the name 'Uzumaki Naruto' printed itself out at the empty slot, along with the tinier version of her bloody finger-prints.

…. ….

…. ….

Even Naruto herself had not expected something like that to happen. She had thought that she needed to sign the Contracts once again with her own hand before she could summon any of the toads or using Senjutsu. She performed the required seals in reflex, her hands moving on their own. Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, Ram and slammed her right palm onto the table's surface.

Poof!

Two tiny, old-looking toads materialized right on the top of the Toad Contract. One was a green toad with white hair and bushy white eyebrows and appeared to be a male toad. The second one had a funny bright-purple hair-do with purple marking around its mouth; this one appeared to be a female. Both of them were wearing high collared cloaks clasped neatly under their chins.

The Nidaisengama(9) had arrived.

Jiraiya's eyes were bulging at the two toads, mouth opening and closing without producing any audible sounds.

"Jiraiya-chan, did you reach the point of disturbance that I told you about?" The white-haired toad croaked at the still-gaping-Jiraiya at once, not noticing their surroundings and the people presented.

"Tou-chan! Watch what you're saying, we have company!"

The two elderly toads finally noticed their surroundings. Both of them stared at the occupants of the room in which they found themselves in.

"What are you two doing here?" Jiraiya finally managed to make his voice being heard after several tries. He received a whack to the head immediately.

"Manners, Jiraiya-chan!" The female toad returned to her place upon the scroll after smacking Jiraiya's head. "We're here because the Yogen no Ko's name had appeared on the Great Scroll back home. Now, where is she?"

"Err… that would be me, Sennin Baa-chan."

Both toads turned around to face her.

"Naruto-chan. So the bijuu succeeded in bringing you back to life and into this timeline, eh?"

"You knew, Shima Baa-chan?"

"Well, not really. Ojiji-sama called us three days ago and told us to prepare ourselves to welcome the Yogen no Ko's arrival in this timeline from sometimes in the future. At least that's what we could discern from his mumbling. He did say a lot more than that, but mostly were grumblings and half-sentences. You know how senile he is." Fukasaku answered her with a mischievous smirk in his tone.

"Wait, you knew about this… about her, yet you didn't tell me? What the hell, old-toad!" Jiraiya's voice was booming within the room. It was a good thing that Naruto's barrier including a formidable sound-proof element in its property, otherwise the whole Palace would have heard him by then. He received another clouting on the head from Shima.

"No need to shout, Jiraiya-chan! We've got glimpses of Naruto-chan, that's all. Not enough to form a story and certainly not enough to inform anyone, yet."

"Kaa-chan is right, Jiraiya-chan. It was only after she re-signed the Scroll and her name appeared on the list of Summoners on the Great Scroll back home that we remembered everything about her. And it was like, what, five minutes ago?"

"So, that's what Katsuyu was talking about when she _ordered_ me to head off to Konoha and check for some sort of disturbance in the nature of things there. A traveller from the future, huh?" Tsunade pierced the jinchuuriki with a thoughtful gaze.

Nara Shikaku cleared his throat before he too, added his two cents. "It seemed like your arrival was sensed by the Summons creatures, Naruto-chan. I guess it would also explain the _unusual_ behaviours of the Nara herds, the Inuzuka's dogs and the Aburame's hives two days ago. Although Kakashi-san didn't mention anything strange about his packs, we can safely assume that summons and animal nin which were closest to you would be more sensitive to your present. If every summons and animal nin felt it as strong as the Toads, the road to Konoha would be packed with various ninja from all around the Elemental Continents by now. You would be in a dangerous situation, then, Naruto-chan."

"My summons also didn't mention anything strange when I summoned one of them to deliver the message to Ino-Shika-Cho trio yesterday. My guess is that you weren't close to the Saru Summoning Scroll, Naruto-chan?" The Sandaime chipped in his opinion.

"No, I wasn't, Jijii. I've never battled alongside the monkeys. Konohamaru in my time didn't sign the Saru Summoning Scroll."

"I see." Sarutobi immediately noticed what the jinchuuriki did not say. Konohamaru was the last of his direct line to survive in her timeline. Himself and his son Asuma never made it far, it seemed.

"I was closed to the Inuzuka, the Aburame and the Nara. The Nara herds even let me petted them while I came to the Nara forest to hunt for Shikamaru when he ditched the Jounin meetings." Naruto smiled slightly at Shikaku who rolled his eyes in return. "I signed the Toad Summoning Scroll and later on the Nidaisengama trained me in Senjutsu, so naturally we fought together. The toads and I even have some collaboration techniques together, dattebayo! My team-mate signed the Slug Summoning Scroll, and I've fought alongside Tsunade Baa-chan often enough, therefore Katsuyu-sama knew me pretty well. What I'm worried about is that my other team-mate signed the Snake Summoning Scroll, and he'd summoned Manda when fought together once during the Fourth Shinobi War."

"What about Hatake Kakashi's pack, Naruto-chan? You've mentioned that he was your Jounin Sensei." Chouza also added his own two cents.

"I was pretty familiar with his nin-ken, Chouza Oji, especially Pakkun. I don't know why they didn't sense anything. Or if they did, I don't know whether they've told Kakashi-Sensei yet, dattebayo!"

"Wait a minute! So, you really are Minato's little baby?" Jiraiya asked again with a pointed finger, which earned him another smack to the back of his head.

"Baka! Stop embarrassing yourself!" Tsunade then directed her gaze at the other blonde. "Is it okay if I summoned Katsuyu here? Will her presence disrupts your barrier?"

"Although I'm not exactly a baby any-more, as a matter of fact, yes I am, Kyoufu. Yes, it's okay, Tsunade Baa-chan. This particular barrier was developed with the help from the toads and Katsuyu-sama. She was able to come into the barrier without disrupting it in my time, dattebayo!" Naruto tried and failed miserably to suppress her giddiness at being able to summon the Toads again, her verbal tick was unstoppable.

"Don't call me that, Gaki!" Tsunade then closed her eyes as she bit her own thumb while finishing the seals sequel for Summoning jutsu.

"What the hell, Hime! You still doubt her yourself!" Jiraiya mumbled as he raised his head from the table's surface, only to kiss said surface once again as the Gamadou no Haha(10) smacked his head once more. "Aw…!"

"Language, Jiraiya-chan!" The Gama Sennin then proceeded to sulk in his chair, arms crossed on his chest and mouth forming a noticeable pout, grumbling all the way. The Sandaime shook his head seeing his middle-age student sulked.

"Tsunade-Hime, you called?" A small white slug with three blue linings on each side of its body greeted the last Senju as the smoke accompanying its arrival dispersed.

"Ah, Katsuyu, it seems that I've found the source of the disturbance that you mentioned a few days ago."

The slug turned its body around and then stopped as its eyes landed on Naruto's sitting form. "Naruto-chan! You're alive!"

"Katsuyu-sama! It's good to see you again, dattebayo!"

"Okay, Gaki. So you've seemed to inherit Kushina's verbal tick as well…. Hm… Show me the seal on your belly and maybe I'll trust you." Disbelieve and logic warring in his head, Jiraiya was unable to contain his curiosity.

'_Finally!'_ Naruto complied with the request immediately. She raised both her shirt and mesh shirt that she wore, started moulding her chakra and then the double Shishou Fuuin which formed the Hakke no Fuuin Shikki on her stomach appeared, as well as the other seals on her body. Her control was still all over the place.

Jiraiya came closer to scrutinize the seal on her stomach, along with her other visible seals. His eyebrows were drawn in concentration while the other occupants in the room sat silently waiting for his verdict.

"This seal is a bit different than the one Minato sent me via Gerotora. Unless this seal is a different one and therefore you're a fake, someone's been tampering with the seal, hasn't it?"

"Aaa… I forgot about that. The seal had been loosened, since I've already used the Key that Dad's left in Gerotora, dattebayo! Also, Dad had to make some adjustment when I got both the Yin and Yang part of the Kyuubi towards the end of the war, dattebayo! Here, it's the Key Seal!" She rolled her right sleeve and the Key Seal could be seen etched on the inside of her arm, starting from the palm and ended just before her elbow. "See?"

"Whoaa… what do you mean your Dad adjusted the seal? Minato is dead!"

"Aaa… Actually he used the Shikki Fuujin to seal the Yang part of the Kyuubi into me and the Yin part into himself, as the result his soul was trapped within the Shinigami's belly. Orochimaru somehow managed to cancel the bindings with the Shinigami and used the Edo Tensei to summon the dead Hokages back to life and helped us winning the war, dattebayo! Dad sealed the re-united form of the Kyuubi into me after we defeated Madara and then his Edo Tensei form dispersed itself as he said that he no longer had any regrets which tied him to the neither world." It was a half-truth. The Hakke no Fuuin Shikki adjusted itself again after all the nine bijuu were sealed into her as separate beings, but it was an information that she had vowed to keep to herself.

Tsunade and Jiraiya perked when they heard that particular information. Hope re-kindled in the depth of their eyes. "So, Orochimaru repented in the end?" blurted out Jiraiya.

"Err… Not exactly. He helped us to win the war because the war was standing on the way of his own plans. After the war was over, he went back to his original plan to overrule Konoha and gaining immortality. Gomen, Baa-chan, Kyoufu." Naruto watched as their glimmering hopes being crushed at her words and she hated herself for telling them the truth, for being unable to tell a direct lie to answer a direct question.

Fukasaku broke the silence that followed Naruto's narrative. "So, we've found out that you had made it back here, Naruto-chan. We can continue our chat later. We'll reserve summon you to Mount Myouboku in the near future. Come, Kaa-chan. It's past midnight and we're losing some sleep since you insisted to stay awake waiting for Naruto-chan to summon us."

"What do you mean; I was the one who insisted? You're the one who made me wear my travelling cloak since yesterday morning, Tou-chan! I was fine doing my own chores and was prepared to sleep at nightfall. But nooo…. You had to be all jittery and nervous!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

Poof!

Still bickering, the Nidaisengama dispelled themselves.

"Ah, Tsunade-Hime, do you still need me?" Katsuyu asked its summoner.

"No, that's all for now, Katsusyu. Thank you."

"Naruto-chan, let's talk again sometime, yes? Hokage-sama, Daimyo-sama." With a nod, the slug too, dispelled itself.

There was a moment of silence for a while until Jiraiya finally spoke.

"So, you really are my god-daughter from the future, huh? Judging from those seals all over your body, looks like I've taught you well, if I may say so myself." Jiraiya scratched the back of his head and grinned sheepishly at her. The entire people in the room sighed in relieve at Jiraiya's approval.

"Err… you've taught me a lot, yes. But you'd never got around in completing my Fuuinjutsu training, Kyoufu. Truth is I'm no master in sealing. Sai there, is. What sealing I know I picked up from variety of teachers, including the toads and Tsunade Baa-chan. Although Baa-chan's sealing mostly medic-related, dattebayo! so there weren't much that I could learn from her either."

"Why not Gaki? And don't call me that!" Tsunade's gaze had more warmth than the earlier part of their conversation and Naruto could not help but fell into her usual pattern when speaking to her.

"Hohoho! I think I like you, Gaki! The name's suited you, Hime!"

"Err… Medic's not for me, dattebayo! Too many things to read and all those sitting still and concentration! Not to mention the chakra control needed to perform them, dattebayo!"

"Heh, too much chakra for fine control huh? Just like Kushina! And you've grown to be a looker like your mother too!" The pervert in him shone through as Jiraiya paid closer attention to Naruto's appearance.

Tsunade was about to whack him again but Naruto beat her to it when she yelled at him, "Ero-Sennin! Stop perverting at your own god-daughter! It's indecent and embarrassing, dattebayo!"

"Ero-Sennin, huh?" Hiruzen could not stop himself from grinning at his student who immediately pouted. His grin was followed by some snickers and giggles.

Finally, the Fire Daimyo felt that as Naruto's identity had been confirmed for the two Sannin, it was time to continue their interrupted discussion from earlier that evening.

"Right, shall we carry on our discussion, Sandaime-dono? Naruto-chan?"

They both nodded and the others straightened in their respective seats.

"Hold it, what about him and him?" Jiraiya suddenly remembered the two other strangers in the room.

"Aaa… Kurama is…" The Demon Fox gave them a foxy grin and then let his transformation fell. Both of the Sannin had their eyes widened at the sight of the mini Nine-Tails. "…the Kyuubi." Naruto finished weakly.

"You… you let the Kyuubi out of the seal? What the hell, Gaki?" Jiraiya's booming voice once again shook the room.

"His name is Kurama, Ero-Sennin! And technically, he's still tied to my seal; I just gave him more room to stretch, is all, dattebayo!"

The Slug Princess pinched her nose before speaking. "Right, I don't want to know about that. At least for now. What about him, is he a demon too?" She tilted her head toward Sai who smiled placidly as everybody in the room also stared at him.

"Err… That's Sai, and he's… umm… accidentally dragged here with me when the bijuu transported me?" She flailed her hands miserably and Sai took pity at his flabbergasted team-mate.

"My name is Sai. No last name. Elite Jounin of Konohagakure no Sato, Ninja Registration Number is 012420. Used to be under Ne. Under the order of Shimura Danzou and later confirmed by the Godaime no Konohagakure no Sato I was transferred into Team Kakashi under Hatake Kakashi, Ninja Registration Number 009720 and Yamato Taichou, Ninja Registration Number 010992. Teammate consist of Uzumaki Naruto, Ninja Registration Number 012607 and Haruno Sakura, Ninja Registration Number 012601. Last occupation is Personal Guard to Hokage-in-training, Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto." His monotone introduction was uninterrupted, even when some of the people presented held their breaths when he mentioned the word 'Ne'.

Sarutobi narrowed his eyes, "Used to be in Ne?"

"Well, he's kinda defected from Ne, Jijii."

"How does one defect from Ne? Danzou put a seal to make his entire member stay loyal to him! Just like those masked ninja you fought earlier!"

"I was placed into Hatake Kakashi's team to replace Uchiha Sasuke who defected from Konoha in favour of following Orochimaru and to spy on the Kyuubi jinchuuriki for Danzou-sama. However, Naruto's 'special power' like Kakashi-Senpai called it, reminded me of my brother, Shin, who's supposed to be dead by the end of my training in Ne. Being around Naruto had managed to dissolved Danzou-sama's training in killing our emotions. I was able to function effectively as part of the team since Kakashi-Senpai had never talked about sensitive information around me.

Danzou-sama has not yet placed a seal on my person in this timeline, since my brother and I were just being drafted about two weeks ago, so my younger body had not had the seal, yet, while my own seal was dissolved when Danzou-sama was killed by Uchiha Sasuke."

Naruto gave up her fight and face-palmed. There went almost everything about Sasuke that she'd managed to hide from Yamanaka Inoichi before. She had not got the chance to talk with Sai for long.

The Sandaime was stunned. "Sasuke… defected to Orochimaru and killed Danzou? What did I do wrong, Naruto-chan?"

"Err, Orochimaru gave Sasuke his cursed mark during the second part of the Chuunin Exams to take Sasuke's Sharingan, Jijii. Kakashi-Sensei placed the Fuuja Houin(11) on top of it, but Sasuke lost his will to fight against Orochimaru's cursed mark and defected in the end. We've spent almost two years to track him down and to convince him to come back to Konoha, but we'd never succeed, dattebayo! Not even Itachi's parting words managed to convince him and then he even joined the Akatsuki for a while after Itachi's death. In the end, it was the Edo Tensei-ed Hokages who changed his mind. He re-joined us in the middle of the battle against the Akatsuki and Uchiha Madara." She gritted her teeth at the end of her explanations since she had just unintentionally triggered another set of questions.

"What do you mean Itachi's parting words, Gaki? What's the Akatsuki? And Uchiha Madara? He's dead at the Valley of the End! My grandfather Senju Hashirama killed him there!" Tsunade was close to yelling at the end of her questions.

Naruto flicked her gaze towards the Sandaime whose face had lost all of its colour. "Jijii? Should I…?"

The Sandaime shook his head. "My mistakes, let me, Naruto-chan." He drew a deep breath to prepare himself for the upcoming ordeal, but Naruto cut him off.

"No, Jijii. You're bonded by your oath to never discuss the matter with anyone else aside from those in the know from the beginning. We don't know what Danzou had done to ensure the oath was never to be broken. If you're willing to share it, then I'll do it. I've heard Sasuke's version of the tragedy. We could always confirm it to you later, but you can't initiate any discussion of this matter yourself, Jijii."

Sarutobi Hiruzen threw her a grateful smile and then nodded. "You're right, Naruto-chan. I didn't remember my oath for a moment there. Go ahead."

She took a deep breath to calm herself while the rest of the room waited.

"Right, here it goes. After Uchiha Madara's defection, the suspicion towards the Uchiha clan's loyalty began to rise to the surface. When the Kyuubi was released from Mum's seal, Danzou ordered the Police to guard the civilian and away from the fight itself. Yes, Mum's seal was released by a third party. I'll get to it later." She directed her words at the Akamichi who opened his mouth to speak. "And yes, as I said before, I was the third jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi, the first one being Uzumaki Mito, Senju Hashirama's wife and Tsunade Baa-chan's grandmother. The second one was Mum, Uzumaki Kushina who came to Konoha from Uzushio at Uzumaki Mito's request to replace her as the Kyuubi's jinchuuriki, as the Kyuubi's chakra is too massive and malicious to be contained into ordinary people. So the Uzumaki's special chakra is needed."

"Don't call me that, Gaki!" Used to ignore Tsunade from her own timeline, Naruto paid no heed to her grumbling, much to Jiraiya's glee.

"Now, where was I? Aaa… yes. After the Kyuubi attack, the suspicion towards the Uchiha grew higher, added to that was Danzou's covert agitators who spread and flamed the distrust towards the Uchiha. The Uchiha planned a coup de tat as retaliation. The Sandaime and the Councillors found out about the plan. Uchiha Itachi was drafted into ANBU by Danzou and he was asked to spy on his own clan by both the Hokage and Danzou, while Uchiha Fugaku ordered Itachi to spy on the Hokage. Itachi loved the village more than his clan, so he sided with the Hokage…" Naruto raised a questioning brow at the Sandaime who nodded his head in reply, signalling her to continue.

"Right. Uchiha Shisui, who was also loyal to the village, approached the Sandaime and offered to help in dissolving the tension between the Uchiha and the Village. Shisui planned to use his Kotoamatsukami to hypnotize Uchiha Fugaku. Danzou intercepted him on the way and stole one of his Sharingan eye. Shisui then gave his other eye to Itachi for safekeeping and then made Itachi watch as he killed himself, granting the Mangekyou Sharingan to Itachi in the end. The peace talk effort failed with Shisui's demise. Itachi then was ordered to kill his entire clan, which he agreed to with one exception, to spare his little brother, Uchiha Sasuke."

Naruto swept her gaze toward the people presented and noticed that only Inoichi and Chouza who looked surprised at her revelation. Shikaku merely looked grim, so did Jiraiya, Tsunade, Madame Shijimi and the Fire Daimyo.

"Unfortunately, for some unknown reason, Itachi trapped Sasuke in Tsukoyomi and planted the seed of revenge in his little brother's mind. I don't know why Itachi made Sasuke hate him and indirectly told Sasuke to grow stronger and to kill Itachi when he's stronger. That's why he followed Orochimaru. He felt that he wasn't getting stronger fast enough under Kakashi-Sensei's tutelage."

The Sandaime closed his eyes; his body sagged in regrets.

It was the Yamanaka patriarch who fired the next question.

"So, let me get this straight. Itachi was actually ordered to eliminate his entire clan? And then fled the village to do what?"

"Actually, he didn't kill his entire clan by himself. There was another Uchiha who helped him in the deed, and Danzou also had his Ne to take some Sharingan for him. I don't know whether he was also involved in the killing himself. Itachi then fled the village in order to spy on the other Uchiha who helped him that night. That Uchiha ran the Akatsuki from behind the screen until the puppet leader was dead in seven, eight years into the future."

"So, you know of the Akatsuki, Naruto-chan? Do you know their intention? I haven't managed to dig that far, they only interested me since Orochimaru is also part of that organization." The Gama Sennin was back in his serious mode.

Naruto was still contemplating whether to tell everything to her godfather when Sai took the matter out of her hands. His static tone captivated the entire room.

"Akatsuki. Originally created to free Amegakure no Sato from Hanzou's régime. The founder was Yahiko, a war orphan from Amegakure, supported by his two team-mates, Uzumaki Nagato and Konan, also known as the Tenshi no Amegakure. The organization changed it coursed of action after an ambush mechanized by both Hanzou and Danzou during the peace talk between Hanzou and the Akatsuki. Yahiko died during the ambush and Uzumaki Nagato summoned the Gedou Mazou to eliminate both Hanzou's and Danzou's troop. Recent goals: collecting all the nine bijuu to create world's peace. Orochimaru should quit the Akatsuki after he failed to take Uchiha Itachi's Sharingan when Uchiha Itachi first joined the organization."

Jiraiya was getting paler by the seconds as Sai's narrative progressed. In the end of it, the tall man was shaking. "I thought they were dead! Somebody gave me a report of their deaths!"

"Nagato and Konan survived and went underground instead. They hate Konoha now, since Danzou's troop bore the Leaf insignia on them. I'm so sorry, Kyoufu. Although Nagato repented in the end and he brought everybody he killed in Konoha back to life as the last act. He said something about '_It's the least he can do_'. Konan took his body and quit Akatsuki." A small smile tugged at Jiraiya's lips when he heard the quotation. "He's being used, Shishou. Even the other Uchiha in the Akatsuki was being used. It's Zetsu that needs to be eliminated."

"Naruto-chan, you keep saying the other Uchiha, who? Is it Uchiha Madara?"

"No, it isn't. Technically Uchiha Madara should be dead or close to it at this point. He merged himself with the Shodaime Hokage's Mokuton clone at the end of the fight, Baa-chan, that's how he survived. The Shodai was tricked to believe that Madara was dead. Madara awaken the Rinnegan after that battle and then he gave the eyes to Nagato. I'm not sure about the timeline, though. Anyway, Madara managed to tie the life force from the wood clone into the Gedou Mazou and created Zetsu, a plant-like thing who could travel anywhere in the world as long as there's a tree around. He's the ultimate spy and he could multiply himself, dattebayo! Before he died, Madara sealed his will into Zetsu, creating the Black and White Zetsu. Madara and Zetsu were able to trap and lure another wayward Uchiha to carry on his hatred, dattebayo! That Uchiha also repented in the end of the war, but the damage was done."

"And this other Uchiha is…?" The Nara gently prompted.

"Uchiha Obito." It was Kurama who answered. The bijuu knew Naruto would never part with the information willingly as she was still trying to shield her Sensei from breaking apart, but Kurama had no such reserve. He loathed the Uchiha, anyway.

"Kurama!" She hissed, and Kurama could not help but flinched at the venom in her tone, but he stayed unmoving in his opinion.

"What, Brat? You know I detest them. They're holding my top list, Ginkaku and Kinkaku came second and your yellow head of a father filled the third place. Deal with it."

"Ehem… excuse me, but who's Uchiha Obito?" Tsunade was the only one who dared to interrupt the quarrel between the bijuu and its jinchuuriki. There was a heavy sighed and the Sandaime answered to his student, he eyed the jinchuuriki as he spoke.

"One of Hatake Kakashi's genin team-mate. He was reported to be dead during the Kannabi Bridge Assaults at the end of the last war. He gave his Sharingan to Hatake as a Jounin gift. The other team-mate, a medic nin, performed the operation."

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes as he watched his god-daughter's expression during the Sandaime's explanation. "There's more to that story, isn't it Gaki?"

Sai's monotone broke the silence once again.

"Uchiha Obito was saved by Uchiha Madara from the cave where he was reported to be dead. Madara healed Obito's injuries and then Zetsu brought Obito out in the direction of Konoha just in time to watch the incident that killed Kakashi-Senpai's other team-mate, the medic. Since Uchiha Obito loved the medic, he was devastated and fell into the Uchiha's curse. He had also awoken the Mangekyou Sharingan at that time due to his grief, along with Kakashi-Senpai's Sharingan since they were actually close to each other and separated Sharingan from the same person needs to be close to each other to evolve. It was Uchiha Obito who released the Kyuubi and put him under a genjutsu to attack Konoha when Uzumaki Kushina gave birth to Uzumaki Naruto. And killed the Yondaime and Uzumaki Kushina by proxy."

Naruto closed her eyes as Sarutobi Hiruzen rubbed the top of her head in sympathy. "No wonder you don't want to inform Kakashi-kun about your circumstances, Naruto-chan."

She managed to produce a small smile toward the Sandaime.

"Right, enough of these depressing thoughts. We need to start planning to avoid the upcoming catastrophe and if the Sandaime wants to be back in Konoha by morning. Tsunade-Hime, there's a child with severe chakra burns resting on the second floor. If you could do something about him? Good. Now, Naruto-chan, you mentioned something about Civil Unrest that happened toward the end? And also what should be done to strengthen the ninja. I'll leave that part to you ninjas, but tell me about the civilian…."

Madame Shijimi's brisk voice broke them out of their stupors and soon they all followed her lead in planning and scheming all the way until dawn broke in the eastern horizon.

* * *

**AN**: The chapter's getting longer, xDD. I want Naruto in Konoha in the next chapter, so…yeah…

Review?

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**Footnote:**

1. Konoha no Kiroii Senkou : The Yellow Flash of Konoha.

2. Touton no Jutsu : Transparent Escape Technique.

3. Karumeyaki : Brown sugar cake.

4. Akai Chisio no Habanero : The Red-hot Habanero.

5. Hakke no Fuuin Shiki : Eight Trigrams Sealing Style, the results of combining two Four Trigrams Sealing Style.

6. Shisou no Fuuin : Four Trigrams Sealing Style. Originated from Uzushiogakure, used to seal away any target into a human body.

7. Ougama Sennin : The Great Toad Sage.

8. Yogen no Ko : The Child of Prophecy.

9. Nidaisengama : The Two Great Toad Sage, both Fukasaku and Shima.

10. Gamadou no Haha : The Mother of the Toad Way.

11. Fuuja Houin : The Evil Sealing Method.


End file.
